Hirari
by Pernshinigami
Summary: Gatekeepers saga fanfic, Aizen attempts to build a base in the digital world. Five generations of digidestined come together to stop him. But tensions run high, Takato is now a shinigami captain, and must choose between his own heart and his duty. yaoi
1. Chapter 1

Notes: This is a gatekeeper story. So all your favorite anime and cartoons and sci fi will show up here. Keep your eyes open! I just thought I'd christen the crossovers section for a bit! Its juicy bleach/digimon action! *squeals*

* * *

The alarm went off in the laboratory on Shield Station. "Whats happened?" Washu demanded. "And where!" The alien genius hurried to the big viewscreen where an image began to spin. A map appeared and black squares began to fill in on the map grid.

"Its the digital world Washu." The technician replied. A viewer appeared, showing the landscape. Black towers had begun to rise, and over them..........

"Are those Gargantua?"

"Yes, I think its Aizen. They're opening directly from los Noches."

"Why would Aizen want the digital world?"

"We need to find out." A man stood in the doorway, his hair was white with age, but the black sunglasses and suit gave him away instantly.

"Yamaki, long time no see my old apprentice. What brings you up here?"

"A seperate matter. A digimon looking for his old tamer. How exactly do I tell him that his Takato is dead?"

"dunno, but you'd better. Heeeey, I know! Exactly who to send from the Soul Society." Washu turned to Yamaki. "Let me see if the shinigami can find Takato a gigai. I know he doesn't like using them but..... surely for Guilmon he can make an exception?"

"Oh yes, almost forgot, he went Vaizard two years ago." Yamaki sighed, adjusting the keylike weapon at his hip. "This old key just keeps getting heavier."

"Yes it does old friend." Washu sighed. "hey, Seth has a drink for you. Go visit her. You know she misses you."

"Soon." Yamaki remembered the crusnik and emperess of Trinity Blood's vampires well. He'd visited Byzantium as an apprentice and learned a lot from his night time talks with the empress.

Gatekeepers are the interdimentional keepers of the peace. All the anime and manga, all the science fiction and fantasy it all exists elsewhere, somewhere in the universe. The gatekeepers are the ones who keep it all straight. Yamaki had retired officially, and disappeared into the gatekeepers ranks. He'd been named head of Kusanagi United Crafthall on the Gatekeeper's Hold on Pern, Daijuma Hold.

But an emergency for the digimon and a guilmon searching for his tamer had Yamaki on the Big Wheel searching for something to help Guilmon cross to the Soul Society to see his dead tamer once more. Over and over over the years the Astralgator, the leader of all gatekeepers, had refused passage to Guilmon for whatever reason. They thought the digimon to be a danger, especially his alternate form, Megidramon.

"I know...... exactly who to contact." Washu chuckled. She pushed a few buttons. "Kurotsuuuuuchiiiii. Can you put me through to the Commander General.

A few minutes later the captains filed into the meeting room, with Gwen, Uryu and Urahara behind them. The newest member of the Captains ranks was the soul of a former digidestined. Takato had seen so much in his thirty five turns of life, and when an accident had claimed his family but the gatekeepers had saved him, he was taken on a journey across worlds. A journey that had taken him to the doors of Wammy house, taken him to help Daisuke Aramaki found section 9, he'd been a technopath and a father, a hollow and now thanks to the Goddess Diana's intervention a vaizard.

And his daughter, a rangy young woman named Gwen Ryuunami, was a shinigami of lieutenant rank, a pokemon contest master, with a ribbon cup on the wall of his division for her father to admire, a mother twice over, giving him two beautiful grandchildren. She was a chuunin or journeyman ranked gatekeeper (since the keepers used the same ranking as their Naruto Ninja allies) and she had reached Bankai. The highest level of power a shinigami could obtain.

"Ten minutes ago on the world the gatekeepers know as the digital world, black spires began to appear in a cluster of land on their map. A matter of minutes later hollows began to appear in the vicinity of the spires. The gargantua have been traced to Los Noches. Aizen has gone on the attack and Aizen is our problem." Yamamoto began.

"Thirteenth division lieutenant Gwen Ryuunami, apprentices Mello and Sai, former twelfth captain Urahara Kisuke, the last Quincy Uryu Ishida and 5th Captain Takato Aramaki will be the gatekeeper team responding to this emergency."

Takato spoke up. "A native guide will be joining us. Never fear. And the Digidestined have been contacted. However, there are hundreds of these black spires. And every single one will need to be brought down if we are to prevent the hollows from getting into the digital world." Takato reported. "An old mentor of mine has gone off to find help. But it will take him awhile."

Gwen rubbed her hands together conspiratorily. "YES! One place I've never gotten to go!"

Takato laughed. "Yamamoto, don't worry I'll take care of this!"

Yamamoto nodded, "If you need help, Rukia Kuchiki, Yumichika Ayasegawa and Toushiro Hitsugaya are available to join you."

Takato grinned hugely. "Well then sir, I think we'd better get going."

"Yes, you should." Gwen turned to Uryu and Urahara. "Alright guys, dah, Mello and Sai are waiting in the lieutenants room."

"Then you are dissmissed." Yamamoto told the quartet of shinigami and Quincy.

"Lets move."

The doors opened, and the four of them hurried to the lieutenant meeting room. "Mello! Sai! We have an emergency!"

"What's happened?" Renji asked.

Takato answered. "Aizen has launched an attack on a place called the digital world. I should have known, its so easy to bust in that it would be a target for certain."

"Lets move then!"

"Papa, is your gigai alright?"

"I won't need one in the digital world. The spirit particle converter will convert my body to data, yours as well. Remember how everything is Reishi in soul society? In the digital world everything is data."

"you speak like an expert dah?" Gwen asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Long story my little blossom." Takato ruffled his daughter's hair. "Lets go! Someone's waiting for me."

"Dun call me that!" Gwen growled. "Flowers suck."

"Oh really. I know some flower digimon that would disagree." Takato chuckled. He had never told Gwen what Gatekeeper world he was from, for Gwen had been born in and grown up in the inter, a Neutral dimension where all other dimensions were books, stories, tv shows, or cartoons. She'd been quite the digiphyte as a kid actually.

"Alright then daddy dearest, since you're such an expert, lead the way." Gwen smirked.

"See you!" Renji waved goodbye to the gatekeepers, the other lieutenants watching them leave.

Takato slashed an opening in space, and the gatekeepers ran through. They were in a jungle, it was hot and humid and the hair on Gwen's head fluffed out slightly with it, since her hair was both short /and/ messy. "This way." Takato pointed to a ruined Hindu style shrine nearby. "We'll be meeting him here."

"Takato... mon? Takatoooooomon! Takaaaatoooooomoooooon!" Guilmon was seated on a ledge near the shrine, Agumon and Tai, Gatomon and Hikari with him. "Takaaatooooomoooooon!"

"Sorry Guilmon, chill. Just because gatekeepers are coming doesn't mean that your tamer will be."

"You're wrong! Takatomon promised he come back!" Guilmon whined. He glared up at Tai. "Yamaki said he would he prooooomiiiseeed." Guilmon whined.

To be continued!


	2. The battle begins

A man's deep tenor voice called out in the jungle. "Guiiiilllmoooooon!" It was far off. "Guilmon where are youuuuuu! I brought crusty bread Guilmon!"

"YAY! TAKATOMON!!!!!" Guilmon lept from the ledge, running through the forest. "Takatomon! I missed you sooooo much!!!!"

Gwen squeaked in surprise when the one and only Guilmon leapt from the short bushes and tackled her /father/ in a huge hug. "Guilmon! Its been years! I'm so sorry I left you alone dearest, can you forgive me?" Takato's digivice slipped from a fold in his robes, hanging from his obi sash.

"I will if you give me bread!" Guilmon whined, his stomach rumbling audibly.

"Wait..... dad, Guilmon is /your/ digimon?" Gwen asked, stepping forwards.

"Who dis lady Takatomon?"

"Guilmon, this is my daughter Gwen."

"Allo!" Guilmon chirruped, as Takato pulled a loaf of crusty bread out of his daypack. "OOOOh, I never tried this kind!"

"its sourdough, from a bakery called Panera."

Guilmon took a huge bite, "It yummy!"

"Hey! WAIT UP! WAIT UP!" A boy in a green school uniform and a girl in a pink and white shirt ran over, with digimon in tow.

"So /you're/ the missing Takato." The boy chuckled. "I'm Tai, this is my sister Hikari. And our digimon Agumon and Gatomon."

"Hullo!" Agumon grinned.

"its a pleasure!" Gatomon purred, "And you are?"

"Names Gwen, Takato here is me dah." Gwen had a bit of a street accent when she spoke in Japanese. "My apprentices here are Sai and Mello, who isn't. And the other two are...."

"Kisuke Urahara, shopkeeper." Urahara beamed at Tai, waving his little fan and eyeing the digimon from under the brim.

"Uryu Ishida, Quincy."

"Dad, why didn't you /tell/ me you were a digidestined?" Gwen demanded.

"Tamer, theres a difference." Takato told Gwen. "You were destined for something other than the digital world sweets."

Gwen huffed. "Yeah, well just remember that I didn't ask for the whole shinigami thing. It bit me on the backside."

"Oh none of us ever asked, it just happens." Takato snorted.

Mello yawned hugely. "Look, we have hollows to kill. You guys gonna stand around talking or get moving."

Sai nodded agreement. "We came to fight."

"We're waiting for the other digidestined." Hikari told Sai. "We need the others help."

Gwen grinned hugely. "Well, I sort of know why you kept it from me, I saw the Digimon anime all through my gradeschool years. It was funny, even after you were gone I felt.... happy, watching Digimon something in git made me feel warm and fuzzy."

"Well, now you know why." Takato chuckled, keeping one hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Tai I can't thank you enough for keeping an eye on Guilmon for me."

"Why didn't you come back Takatomon?" Guilmon asked, drooping.

"Its because." Takato said quietly. "Its because I died, and when I did, I changed into a monster that I didn't want you to see me as."

"Dead? But Takatomon you're here with me! How could you be dead?"

"Um.... well. There's another world, kind of like the digital world, only its for dead humans. Its called the Soul Society. The weather is always warm, the sun is always bright. Its very peacefull. I can come back here because Soul Society and the Digital world are both similar.

"But if someone needs to cross from the soul society to the physical world they need a gigai, and dah doesn't like using a gigai." Gwen spoke up.

"Its like walking through sludge. After sharing Gallantmon with Guilmon why should I be weighed down like that?" Takato asked, shaking his head. "I became a shinigami captain. I begged Diana-sama to help me join the soul society. So that my little girl could live in paradise when she goes there to stay." Takato beamed at Gwen.

"I'll make it a paradise for you dah." Gwen chuckled. "There you go, trying to be 'worthy' of your heroine daughter again. You don't have to be worthy of anything." Gwen said adoringly.

"So basically you're back from the dead?" Gatomon asked. "In a human? Thats just creepy."

Mello eyed Gatomon, and Agumon, and was about to say something witty when he heard. "TAAAAAAI! We' made it!!! Sorry we're late!"

Suddenly the clearing was filled with strangers, digimon following them. "Guys, these are my team and Daisuke's team. " Tai introduced the other digidestined one by one. "Yamato and Gabumon, Sora and Biyomon, Izzy and Tentomon, Mimi and Palmon and Joe and Gomamon."

"I'm Daisuke Motomiya! And this is my buddy Veemon, these are Miyako and Hawkmon, Iori and Armadillomon, Takeru and Patamon, and Ken and Wormon."

"I'm Gwen Ryuunami, Lieutenant Shinigami Division 13. These are my apprentices Sai and Mello."

"Yo." Mello must have been a sight, dressed in black goth clothes with a skull studded belt and a choker with wolf pawprint studs on it. His fingers hooked on his belt, taking a casual, slightly slouching posture.

"its a pleasure!" Sai gave his faint, fake smile. Though his smile held a bit of nervousness to it.

"I am Takato Matsuki, Captain Shinigami 5th. You've met my Digimon Partner Guilmon." Guilmon waved to the other digimon. "Hullooo." Takato made sure his digivice was hanging off his Obi in full view for the others.

"I'm Kisuke Urahara former head of the department of research and development at the twelfth division. Washu dragged me out of retirement to help with your little problem."

"My name is Uryu Ishida, a Quincy archer."

"Hey Keeeen, Uryu looks like you with glasses." Daisuke grinned hugely, pointing from Uryu to Ken to Uryu. (1)

"And about four years older." Ken shook his head but Wormmon wiggled, giggling. "You're right, he does look like my Ken."

"Alright. I think I know who's sent the black spires. Its nothing my team hasn't heard before, but..." Gwen began.

"Uh, question." Miyako raised her hand. "If Takato is a Captain and you a lieutenant, why isn't he leader?"

"Because I had my share of leading as a digidestined, at least thirty or more years before you even set foot in the Digital world." Takato replied. "And Gwen is supposed to become Captain for the 9th when she dies and joins the Seireitei. So consider her a Team leader in training." Takato beamed with fatherly pride.

"Anyway, the control spires haven't appeared because of the digimon emperor this time. They've appeared because of a bad guy from our world. His name is Aizen. Last summer three Shinigami captains turned as evil as evil could be. They stole a powerful weapon with the ability to bend space called the Hogyoku. Aizen began using it to modify evil spirits called hollows and make then stronger than normal."

Uryu added. "Then he made a stupid mistake. Aizen began experimenting on the ghosts of human children. The gatekeepers were going to let the situation in Hueco Mundo play itself out, until two of Aizen's espada brought them proof. A girl named Jenina whom Aizen had altered in the course of his experiments. She had a severe empathic reaction to los Noches, nearly killing her in the process. Her condition improved when she left it."

"The gatekeepers assaulted Los Noches and the satilite installations of Las Estrellas and la Luna." Takato grinned. "Beat the pants off Aizen. He was so badly beaten that he needed to send his army out to forrage for supplies. Which is probably why he came to the digital world. He discovered that in places where the veil between worlds was thin he could open the gargantua directly to los Noches instead of taking the long way around like he normally would have, he could skip a few months travel. Hence his using the control spires to open the boarder between worlds. He's creating a highway for his troops to travel."

"What exactly /are/ hollows anyway?" Iori asked.

"Um..." Gwen and Takato looked at each other, Takato inclined his head to Gwen and the lieutenant replied. "Well, they /were/ humans. They're basically ghosts that fell from grace. They were transformed into monsters. They hunger for human souls, because their hearts were eaten out. If you're eaten by a hollow you'll turn into one. So don't get caught. Their masks are their weakpoint. Smash it and they cross over to the other side. They're reborn as humans again, with a second chance. Just like the digimon when they die."

Takato sighed. "I spent five years as a hollow. Its not something I care to remember. In order to return to the form you see me in I had to absorb my hollow self and become a vaizard. a shinigami with hollow abilities. It granted me incredible strength, but at a price, imagine a creature of pure darkness eating at your soul. A personal demon that appears to try and take over your heart. I didn't want to come back until I could control that dark power." He grinned bitterly.

"Alright, those of you who can we need you to digivolve, pick your forms for speed." Gwen told them. "We're going to charge the area of control spires and do a single pass, if you see a hollow, slay it. If you can, knock some spires down."

Takato added. "I'll need time to sync up with Guilmon and for him to get used to my new spiritual pressure. And I need bluecards in order to biomerge to mega or take the place of a crest so he can matrix digivolve to ultimate. So for the time being he can only go as high as champion level."

"When we charge the field created by the control spires we'll know for certain if we can still digivolve inside the field." Tai told the other digidestined. "All of you go and then charge the barrier, brace for impact if our digimon can't digivolve. Sora, you need to take Mimi with you, Togemon makes a very prickly ride. Iori hitch a ride with Yolie. I want anyone who can to armor digivolve."

Ken frowned. "What if our digimon can't digivolve in the field. What will we do then?"

"Then the group of us will circle the battlefield and attack from the edges. Maybe we can draw some hollows out of the field where we can get a fair fight." Tai growled. "I know your old team mates are supposed to join us Takato, but we can't wait. They could have innocent digimon in there."

"Not just us. Yamaki went to get the Legendary Warriors as well." Takato growled. "But I completely understand." He drew his katana. "Throb! Uzume no Warai!!" The zanpakuto lengthened into a viking dane ax with a massive sickle blade on the other end. It was as if someone had crossed the grim reaper's scythe with the famous viking weapon. He leaned the blade against a tree and dug through the pockets of his robe. "I had it somewhere." Takato winked at Tai and Daisuke. "Betcha wish you had this." He pulled out a card, to the digidestined's surprise, he scanned it through his digivice. "Card slash! Digivolution!"

"Guilmon shinka......... GROWLMON!" Guilmon's form glowed, and reformed, reaching champion easily. "You like?" Takato chuckled. "He's got tattoos and a hairstyle that a greymon would be jealous of!" Growlmon made a muscle, a sheepish grin on the champion's face. "Lets see, what do we have here?" Takato flicked out two more cards. "Card slash! Hyper wing and hyper speed activate!"

Daisuke's jaw dropped when Guilmon sprouted wings. "Remember when we used these last buddy?"

"Well the girl did lose her balloon thanks to that digimon." Growlmon beamed.

"Now, time for my own evolution." Takato grinned, holding a hand up to his face. From the hand a white substance spread over his face, hardening into a mask. A mask shaped like a fox, made of bone with tear drop shaped markings on his face. Takato's ears changed and reformed, becoming fox like, his hair stuck out even more than usual, fluffing out into a mane. "This is my hollow form." Takato growled, his voice sounded garbled, like it had been put through a voice changer. "Don't be afraid. I worked hard and thanks to Shinji and his gang I can control my hollow form effortlessly. But its a huge energy drain!"

"Then lets rock!" Daisuke cheered. "Veemon!"

"Veemon armor shinka Raidramon!"

"Hawkmon armor shinka Horusmon!" (1)

"Armadillomon armor shinka Digmon!"

"Patamon armor shinka Pegasusmon!"

"Gatomon armor shinka Nefertimon!"

Daisuke vaulted to Raidramon's back and took a grip on his ears. Takato had since leapt to growlmon's back and taken hold of his mane, offering a hand to Iori and Mimi.

Tai's digivice began to glow. "Lets do it guys!" Gwen's face spread in a huge smile, lighting up with sheer joy at the sight before her.

"Agumon shinka Greymon!"

"Gabumon shinka Garurumon!"

"Biyomon shinka Birdramon!"

"Tentomon shinka Kabuterimon!"

"Palmon shinka Togemon!"

"Gomamon shinka Ikkakumon!"

"Wormon shinka Stingmon!"

The digidestined climbed to their respective partners necks, backs, wings, Stingmon lifted up Ken.

"Time for us shinigami to do our thing!" Gwen exclaimed. "BANKAI!!! MICHISHIO KURUSADORI SAEYAMARU! CAVALIER MODE!" Gwen roared. The changes took over like a shockwave. Gwen grew, six feet, seven feet, eight feet tall. Armor flowed over her body, hardening in liquid topazuline scales over her body. The tourqouise helmet with feathered tufts where her ears would be clanked down over her eyes. Four enormous wings swept from her back, two red with feathers, two sapphire blue and leathery like a dragon's. Her sword elongated into a ji, the bladed spear as long and wicked as a knight's joust. Gwen raised her massive armored fingers to her lips and whistled. A knicker, a whinny like a horse's cry, and an eight legged stallion appeared, galloping to her side. Its face was covered in armor, as was its shoulders and flanks. Gwen rode him on a western saddle and bridle, leaping to his back and grinning. "What do you think huh? Angemon aint got nothin on this sweet ride." She flapped her wings, a smirk on her face.

Uryu snorted. "Show off, can I hitch a ride on that?"

"Sure." Gwen offered a hand to Uryu, pulling him up onto her mount behind her.

Urahara had already climbed up onto Greymon's neck with Tai. "Hang on tight mister Urahara."

Mello closed his eyes, his body shifting and changing until it took a massive, silvery grey furry form. He no longer looked human, rather he resembled a big shaggy half human half coyote. He still had blonde hair, and the dog collar became all the more fitting. His clothing had become looser, rather than tighter.

Sai closed his eyes, and his body slowly began to change until it resembled something similar to Mello's, only jackel like, wielding two kunai and some pretty nasty fangs.

"You guys can shapeshift?" Iori demanded.

"Sure can." Mello growled. "All gatekeepers can shapeshift. They just have to learn how to tap into that power. With these forms we can keep up with you guys easily."

"Lets jet!" Gwen reared her mount, leading the charge in. Growlmon pulled in next to her. Raidramon and Greymon pulled point, leading the formation of digimon.

The line of digimon charged towards the control spires. "Brace yourselves." Birdramon growled. "If those things are at full power we're going to go flying!"

They hit the line of control spires running. And to Tai's shock the digimon didn't dedigivolve. "Well thats a good thing."

"Not really." Takato held up his digivice. "its going crazy." He shook the digivice slightly and suddenly a message blinked. "Signal intercepted, blue card function disabled!"

Tai checked his own digivice. "Data not found."

Garurumon howled, "I think our ultimate forms have been disabled. We can't go past champion inside the field!"

"Then we'll have to do as much damage as we can in the forms we've got!" Pegasusmon concluded.

There was a keen, and hollows closed in on the group of digimon, seeing a pack of digidestined only. They didn't realize that among them were shinigami, quincy and vaizard.

"Everyone, start blasting!" Takato called out. "Do as much damage as we can while we're here." He leapt from Growlmon's back, "Drum of the broken moon!" Takato roared, swiping out. The concussive blast of sound and energy sliced the hollows to pieces.

Around him attacks flew, hollows dissolved in screams of outrage. Gwen tore hollows to pieces, slicing down control spires with effortless ease. A bitter smirk came to Takato's face. _The battle begins....... _


	3. Gathering Forces

Yamaki had an escort with him to protect him on his run through the digital realms. In reality there weren't just one, there were four. "Please Kudamon, you gotta send DATS to help them. Please!!!" Yamaki begged. Like Yamaki, Kudamon was a gatekeeper. However, the two of them tended to argue more than they got along.

"For you old friend, if you wish I will get them to help you." He turned to Satsuma. "Yamaki and I had diverging views on ethics but his need is genuine. I will open the gatekeeper portal for them to get there and back. I'll have to leave you for a few days but I'll be back. I promise." Kudamon rubbed his cheek to his adult partners. "Its so hard to find an adult partner these days." He leapt to Yamaki's shoulder.

"You heard them Masaru, Toma, Yoshino." Satsuma told his team. Kudamon grinned, leaping into the air. His eyes glowed and suddenly a hole appeared in space. "Go in through there. The local digidestined are already fighting the enemy! Digivolve /before/ you hit the field of black towers and RUSH!" Kudamon told them.

"You got it!" Masaru and Agumon plunged through first. Toma and Gaomon next and Yoshino and Lalamon after.

"Our next stop is the frontier." Yamaki told Kudamon, lifting his gatekey and slicing expertly to the digimon frontier. "Cherubimon will be the hardest to reason with to allow us to take his minions with him."

"Oh I do hope Orphanimon took care of her little problem with Lucemon. It will be so nice to see her again." Kudamon purred.

"Unfortunately no." Yamaki sighed. "There's still open hostilities in Orphanimon's realm. But I trust she'll be able to deal with them."

* * *

"The hamburgermon were so generous!" Zoe had just finished a pile of cheeseburgers. "Its too bad the trailmon race only comes once a year!"

"I'll say!" Takuya's stomach was full.

Suddenly their D-tectors began to go off. "Children!"

"Orphanimon?" Takuya demanded. "What is it?"

"A man is coming to speak with you children. He needs your help. If you are able I want you to go with him!"

"Huh, whats he want?" Junpei demanded.

"He needs your help. Desperately. You see.... there isn't just one digital world. There are four."

"FOUR???" Kouji demanded. "We couldn't even take /one/!"

"This world alone, ordinarily is your responsibility. However, dark forces have broken a hole into one of the four. And its abilities are far beyond a digimon's power to defeat alone. All the digidestined are needed. The man is named Yamaki. He will be here in one hour."

* * *

Yamaki had his own problems. Cherubimon was not listening to him. And all five of the enemy Warriors had closed in on him. "Look Cherubimon, you /signed/ the Kali bloodpact. You /have/ to lend your minions to me for the duration of the battle. The punishment for breaking the pact is death. "

"Why should I? The battle is going /exactly/ as I'd hoped!" Cherubimon glared.

"Because a big white dragon will be /very/ angry if you break her pact." Kudamon purred, "I heard the last time you defied her she wasn't very happy."

"Damn!" Cherubimon growled, eyeing the five Legendary warriors beneath him. "Unfortunately, you guys have to go with him. Grottomon, Arbormon, Ranamon, Mercurymon, Duskmon. If that power gets into /our/ digital world I'll be /very/ upset. Go with Yamaki, and DONT screw up!" He roared, turning and pounding out of the room.

"Ooooow that just bites!" Ranamon glared at Yamaki. "Why do we have to listen to a human!"

"Because if the man behind this gets into your world, he'll ruin your plans, take your spirits, your powers, and your hideout and then kick you five all out in the cold. Aizen is a master of black magic who's been deprived of his freedom. And out of vengeance he's sent his army to tear the entire multiverse down!" Snapped Yamaki. "You wanna continue your little spat with the humans so be it, but you have as much to lose in this as /we/ do!"

"I hate you." Grottomon huffed.

"Human whelp." Mercurymon glared.

Duskmon walked over to both and knocked their heads together. "lead the way /human./ Just remember your place."

Yamaki nodded, slicing an opening in midair. "This will take us to the Human legendary warriors."

Takuya was waiting in the center of the hamburgermon village when the portal opened. "Oh my how convienant." He groaned, Ranamon was marveling at the speed of the portals. "Oh I could get used to traveling like this." She mooned.

Yamaki sighed. "Its just for this trip. Then you're back to going on foot, /so enjoy it./" He smirked. "I'm Yamaki, and this is Kudamon. We need your help."

"Orphanimon told us some stuff."

"She said there were four digital worlds, and that one of them was in trouble." Kouji stated.

"Yeah, its a long story. I'm going to show you something...." Yamaki swung his gatekey again, the keyblade weapon opened a portal. "See that place? Its called Pern. Its another planet. Not a digital world, another real one, an alternate dimension. See down below? This place is called Igen Weyr. Its home to......." A wing of dragons took flight, "There they go!" Bronze, brown, blue and green shapes spiraled upwards. As one they hovered in formation, slowly turning towards the southwest. As one the formation disappeared in a rush of air. Yamaki grinned.

"There are many different dimensions out there. Unfortunately a villain from one of them, a man named Sousuke Aizen broke a hole open for his army of evil monsters called hollows to enter one of the digital worlds. I /believe/ he is using it to build some kind of hub that will allow his forces to travel elsewhere in the strand. But it also means that every digimon in that vicinity is in serious trouble."

"He's not there himself?" Ranamon demanded.

"No, there are interdimensional guardians called gatekeepers, children very much like the digidestined but with /very/ different powers." Yamaki explained. "The gatekeepers took away Aizen's ability to transfer between worlds. So he has to send his troops through instead. But he has two conspirators and ten generals to do his bidding. And any one of them is more than a match for a strong ultimate or a mega."

"Woah, but then how are we going to beat them."

"Believe me, you have the power. Those of the digidestined who can use mega form will take care of any arrancar that show up."


	4. Planning

Saeyamaru was huddled in a ball in Gwen's inner world. "Gwennie! Gwennie it hurt so bad!"

Gwen's zanpakuto spirit, Saeyamaru, took the form of a knight's pageboy. He wore a chain mail shirt and tunic and lead aminiature horse. "It hurts it hurts it hurts!"

"I'm so sorry Saeyamaru, are you alright?" She asked worriedly.

"Your body absorbed allotta data!"

"But that was a Menos Grande wasn't it?"

"Yeah but it was made from a control spire! I dunno how Aizen did it but it hurt really bad! I caught all the data and turned it

into a big ball! Look up!" Saeyamaru pointed.

Gwen looked up, a massive black ball roiled and spun. It turned over and over in the sky above, like a massive sun of dark

energy. "Woah!"

"Whadda you think Gwen? Think you can make an attack with that?" Saeyamaru asked.

"I think so, yeah. I'm not a technopath for nothing!"

Three generations of Digidestined, one group of digimon tamers and now five human legendary warriors and five digimon legendary warriors had appeared. Five generations of goggle heads was more than Ruki could stand, Takato didn't have his goggles anymore, but she was willing to lay odds to evens that Tai had once had a pair himself. At least this Masaru guy looked pretty. She seated herself with Matt, Gabumon, Duskmon and Kouji, Matt had his guitar out and was tuning up.

"You play?" Rukia asked bluntly.

"Oh yeah." Matt chuckled. "I write rock songs about my adventures in the digital world. I was hoping I could perform for an audience of digimon this summer. I'm working on a new song, wanna hear it?"

"Oh I guess. We've got nothing much to do anyway." Ruki snorted.

Matt plucked an opening sequence, moody and dark. Slow at first. Gaining in momentum.

_I've noticed that I'll never fly again_

_ I know that I can't fly with broken wings _

_Someone cried, "a dream will change your shape"  
The love that someone abandoned have already disappeared to somewhere_

_Woo, with broken wings Woo, With Broken Wings_

_Just holding me close won't stop my trembling_

_The coldness of that time surely wasn't like what it is now_

_"A collarless stray dog laughs at me..."_

_Before I knew it, I've started to be scared everyday _

_Struggling in darkness, I want light _

_In the changing scenery, I keep on waiting for something _

_In the moving world, I'm searching for the true answer_

_Woo, with broken wings Woo, With Broken Wings"_

From there, the song began to speed up. Matt's voice began to increase in intensity, calling to the setting sun and the digital

world's moons.

_The bird in the cage has started to cry, "Let me out"  
"A collarless stray dog laughs at me..."_

_...Ah, I'll show that I'll fly ...Ah, with broken wings ...Ah, I'll show that I'll fly ...Ah, with broken wings (3)_

"Thats pretty." Ruki sighed, looking up at the sky.

"Thanks. Actually I wrote it about Ken. I was kinda thinking about his time at the Digimon emperor. Sometimes things are just easier to sing. So I thought if I wrote a song about it it would make it easier to think about." Yamato sighed. "What happened to that girl anyway. Takato said she was a shinigami. Is she really a reaper?"

Gwen had been unconscious. Her armor had fallen away, but her sword hadn't changed back from Jii form. It stood up straight in the dirt next to where the digimon had finally set her down.

"A reaper. Where I'm from anything 'reaper' is a bad sign."

"Why?"

"A creature called the D-reaper attacked Shinjuku in my world. I guess its different here. Its so idyllic it makes me sick." Ruki replied bitterly.

"let me guess, digidestined of friendship?" Yamato smirked.

"We didn't have your stupid crests. All that mattered was that you could make a blue card appear. Bluecards are needed to reach ultimate and mega."

"Betcha set the archetype then." Kouji yawned. "What is it with us digidestined. I mean we all seem to have certain common personality traits. Even generations apart." He sighed. "I mean, look at them. Masaru aside you have four goggle boys. You have the same types of girls as digidestined. You all have a kid on your teams. Its like we're typecast or something."

"I agree, its weird. But my life has been weird for four years." Yamato shrugged. "I'm pretty much used to it by now. Right Gabumon?"

"Mmmhmmm....." The digimon was blissfully snacking on some sweet rolls Takato had brought with him.

Gwen sat straight upright. "GIIIIIIIIIIIN!" She roared. Her eyes were glowing an intense shade of sapphire and she was trembling.

"Cool it, you were having a nightmare!" Yamato rushed over.

At about the same time Urahara, Izzy, Miyako and Yoshino called out. "hey everyone listen up!" The groups gathered around, Gwen stood at the back of the group, hanging onto Saeyamaru's bankai. "Thanks to Urahara's information on hollows, I think I've managed to analyze the data from the battle, and I have some good news and some bad." Izzy told the group.

"First of all, when you enter the field of control spires your digimon will be stuck in whatever form they were when they entered. Which means that if you're going to biomerge, warp or beast spirit digivolve you need to do it OUTSIDE the control spires. Because you will be unable to when you enter. This field extends for the length of a football field around the spires, and it forms a dome into the air and under the soil." Izzy told them.

"But why wasn't digivolution blocked completely?" Asked Ken.

Gwen snorted. "Because they have arrancar in charge of that base. For the most part, arrancar are bloodthirsty. They ENJOY fighting. To them you aren't a challenge if you can't fight back. And Gin, he loves the look of blood and ichor." She shorted. "They're letting you digivolve because they're violent enough to want a challenge."

"You called someone's name when you woke up." Ruki asked. "Who is he?"

"gin is a shinigami, like me, but he's a captain. He fights on a whole new level. He /enjoys/ slaughtering innocents, and toying with his prey. He turned as evil as evil could go, besides that he's Aizen's little boytoy."

Yamato had been giving Tai a backrub through this explanation and sputtered a laugh on 'boytoy.' And Tai blushed, rolling his eyes skyward innocently. Hikari giggled and whispered to Takeru. "Our brothers make a cute couple don't you think?"

Takeru blushed hugely. "Definately." He whispered back.

"Its not FUNNY! Gin Ichimaru tried to /kill/ my daughter!" Gwen growled.

"You have kids?" Yolie perked up.

"Three. Hanabi, Zane and Kabuto." Gwen replied. "Gin tried to kill Hanabi. That was.... probably the most terrifying moment of my life."

"Gwen's would be the crest of light or the crest of hope if she had one." Takato sighed. "her heart is too pure and too kind. Too fierce and protective."

"The creature we saw wasn't a Digimon. It was a super powerfull hollow called a Menos Grande. My rough guess is that its about equal in power to putting Metal Greymon, Paildramon and Were garurumon's power together. Takato is a vaizard and Gwen is a /really/ powerful shinigami. They could defeat it together because their powers are suited to it, but we could likely only take it if we ganged up on it at once." Izzy replied. "And thats /only/ if they don't attack in groups. That cero blast attack has several megatons of power behind it."

"Even a fully trained shinigami officer cannot take a menos grande on their own. They need to attack one in packs." Gwen replied. "Izzy, Saeyamaru has some input on the menos grande." She grabbed her jii and closed her eyes.

"Hiya hiya hiya!" Saeyamaru bounced free. "hey hat and clogs!" Saeyamaru addressed Urahara. "It wasn't a REAL menos grande! It was made from that control spire! I used Gwennie's Tamer blood to absorb it! I'll bet I could make a really good attack with it! But thats why my blade didn't change back! I can't turn so small when i'm holding so much data!!!" Saeyamaru said cheerfully. "I'll think of something fun to do with it later!" He winked, before disappearing.

"Hey, remember BlackWarGreymon?" Iori asked. "He was made from control spires. Just like that menos grande! I'll bet they stole Arukenimon's technique! Thats how they made it!"

"but if thats so, then they've packed that space with more control spires than they need." Jenryaa frowned. "its ammunition!"

"Thats not the worst of it." Ranamon and Mercurymon dropped from the trees. "Sorry guys, we just got back. They're

building paths through the area with this weird kind of rock! I brought one back for you guys to see! Its like it..... repells

attacks! Its really weird! They bounce right off!" Ranamon held out a building brick to Urahara.

The shopkeeper took it. "This is Seki seki rock!!!!"

"Seki what???" The digidestined chorused.

"Its a stone that only forms in spiritual worlds, like the Soul Society or Hueco Mundo." Uryu replied. "it repells spiritual pressure. My guess is that when its converted into data, it repells digimon attacks the same way!"

"They were building a big tower in the center." Ranamon told them. "I used a stream nearby to get up close to it. They have hollows all over the place building it! With lots of that seki seki rock."

"Thats not good." Uryu frowned, looking over at Urahara. "Given the techniques the digimon have available to them, i don't think they'll be able to destroy a tower of seki seki rock."

Arbormon cleared his throat. "Yous guys aren't going to like what I saw. They were putting big spires of seki seki rock in a circle startin at da far side of the base. I'd say deys don't want us seein what's back dere."

"Spires of seki seki rock could create a permanent forcefield around the base. A digimon charges it and BAM!"

"Only Kukaku Shiba can break down that kinda barrier." Gwen grit her teeth.

Grottomon growled making a muscle and a smirk. "Let me go after them. There's nuthin I can't uproot!"

"And digmon can help you too!" Iori said cheerfully.

"I don need no human kid to take carea business. Get lost shrimpo!" Grottomon said dismissively.

"I don't think so. I'm calling the Seireitei. We need shinigami to help us. Don't you get it? Aizen's done his homework. He knows what the digidestined are capable of. Shards and shells he even taught my father. You don't think that Aizen woulda taken /everything/ Takato told him about his adventures in the digital world into account when he planned this?" Gwen flicked out her cellphone.

Ranamon snatched the phone from her hands. "I don't think so." She tossed the phone in one hand, arching an eyebrow. "This is OUR digital world! This is OUR battle! We're going to take Aizen down!"

"Ranamon hath the right idea. We don't need humans like you taking over this battle! The honor shalt go to the digimon!" Mercurymon declared.

"I dunno guys, Gwen has a point." Agumon spoke up. "Aizen picked this spot for a reason, and he wouldn't have gone into battle without knowing his enemy."

Masaru's Agumon growled. "So what? I think we can take 'em!"

"Have you guys ever /fought/ a shinigami before?" Tai's Agumon snapped back. "I sure haven't!"

"Takato how much /does/ Aizen know?" Juri asked.

"Unfortunately i told him the whole story, from making Guilmon to fighting the D-reaper. So yeah, he knows exactly what to expect."

"Tell you what." Gwen told Ranamon with a warm smile. "I know somebody who's no friend of Aizen's, but he's as far from Legit as you can get! And he'll listen to you guys I promise. I can give him a call just give me back my shinigami cellphone."

Ranamon frowned, the five badguys leaned in and whispered. "oh fine!" Ranamon agreed. "As long as he's not 'legit.'"

Gwen nodded. She took her phone back and dialed Ichigo. "Kurosaki-residence!" Karin answered.

"Karin, I need to talk to Ichigo."

"Who's this?"

"The exchange student from America, Gwen remember? Some friends of mine need your brother to help them can you put Ichigo on?"

"Alright. hang on." Karin covered the phone and shouted. "ICHIGO!"

"Huh, what is it Karin?"

"You have a call from some American chick named Gwen?"

"Okay thanks. Ichigo here." Ichigo took the phone. Karin ran to the other line and listened to the phonecall.

"Hey Ichigo. Some friends of mine need your help. Aizen's launched an attack on a dimension called the Digital world. Can you and your team come by to help? Bring Rukia and Renji along, they'll bring you up to date on what happened."

"How bad is it?"

"You know that thing that keeps intruders out of the seireitei? Kukaku's canon is the only thing that can break that barrier."

"Yeah, why?"

"They're trying to build one around it. If we can't take Aizen's forces down before they finish, we'll be in serious trouble.

Uryu and Urahara are already down here helping. Bring rukia, renji, orihime and sado! And bring the bounto modsouls with you please. And....... hmmm...... if you can grab Yoruichi to come help too that would be great. She knows Urahara best."

"How bad is it? I mean you have some fighters there with you."

"Yeah, but unfortunately they're friends of my father's. Aizen knows about digimon. My concern is that he's ready for them.

And some of the more........ pridefull..... digimon don't want the Seireitei involved!"

"Okay. I'll be there in a couple of hours." Ichigo grinned hugely. "Don't worry. We'll help out." Gwen nodded, "See you then then. Its late at night here." She hung up and turned to go. "You, and you." She pointed to Grottomon and Arbormon. "Come with me."

"You no order me!" Grottomon growled.

"Why me?" Arbormon demanded.

"Right now I can't sleep. My zanpakuto absorbed too much data. You two are going to spar with me until Ichigo and his team arrives. And I warn you, if you don't go all out sparring with me you're going to end up with a super headache."

"You want fight? I fight." Grottomon hissed.

"Okays if yous say so!" Arbormon followed Gwen out of camp. "Yous like to fight a lot don't yous...."

"I just have a lot of energy!" Gwen grinned as they disappeared into the forest. She grabbed Saeyamaru as she went.

"Here I come!" Grottomon growled. He pulled out his warhammers and swung. Gwen blocked both blows head on.

"COMIN ATCHA!" snarled Arbormon. He leapt forwards, leaping into attack. Gwen shunpo'd out of the way and he nearly collided with Grottomon. Arbormon corrected at the last second and swung out with one foot, "Roundhouse punt!"

"Hado 31! Shakkaho!" The impact sent the attack wide, and Gwen leapt into the air. BAM! WOOOSH! SWISH! "Holy Triquetta!" She swung her Ji forwards in a pattern similar to the staff weapons used in Stargate. A blast of red, yellow and blue light burst from it. Both digimon leapt out of the way.

"Your blade hurts big time." Grottomon growled. He was panting.

"You's a pretty good shot there." Arbormon grinned. "My foots is really feelin it!"

"Thanks. Don't feel bad. Bankai is the highest level of power a shinigami could go in the way of the sword!" Gwen grinned.

"is that so, then this deserves a slide evolution! Petaldramon!"

"Slide evolution Gigasmon!"

Gwen opened her wings and shot forwards. The shockwave sent a BOOOOM noise all the way back to camp. "My turn to spirit evolve!" Gwen smirked. "Seiryuu I need you now!" Her body began to glow blue, wings and arms spread. Gwen's head arched back, her black hair becoming a long fluffy mane. A line of scales rushed up along her neck, forehead and upper arms. Her skin became a very pale blue, fingers lengthening into talons. Her eyes glowed sapphire and slitted into a decidedly reptillian shape. Spheres of water collected around her before bursting in a whirl of sparkling pale blue light.

"Woah!" Petaldramon grinned. "She's pretty!"

Grottomon growled. "She shiny blue draggymon!!"

Ranamon shook her head. "I dun wanna hang around."

"What are you going to do?" Uryu asked.

"Well sugar, I was thinking, I have a lot of folks back home who owe me favors. Maybe I can cash in a few to bring us some backup."

"You really think you can?" Tai asked hopefully.

"I think so." Ranamon grinned. "If I could only open the portal to go back."

"I'm not letting you go on your own." Takuya growled. "I don't trust you to come back. Wait for Gwen to finish with the boys, then go."

"That might take awhile." Ranamon sighed in disgust when she heard Gwen squeal. "Is that all you boys have got! REALLY COME AT ME!"

"Unfortunately, Gwen likes to fight. Its a sad fact of life. I've gotten over it by now." Sighed Uryu. "Don't worry, in an hour or so she'll tire out or get bored and then she can take you home Ranamon."


	5. The Death of Ranamon

CHERUBIMON! The summons split Cherubimon's mind and the mega cried out in pain, kneeling before the apparition that appeared before him.

"Lord Lucemon, to what do I owe the pleasure." The Mega snarled, his tone subserviant despite his bitter glare.

"You allowed my spirits to travel with the Light. How dare you?"

"I apologize lord Lucemon. The White Dragon! I made a pact with her. She tapped my hand."

"White Dragon?"

"her name is Benten Lord. And she promised me power if she could borrow mine! She sent her servents, the gatekeepers with a Cursed Scroll, it contained the Power of the Black Goddess Kali!" Cherubimon growled. "She 'borrowed' my Legendary Warriors to assist her in her battle in one of the other Digital Worlds."

"This cannot stand! I will break the Curse the White Dragon has placed on you!" Lucemon's foot began to glow, "I will use the Digital hazard power to dissolve the curse." Energy began to gather in Lucemon's hand, with which he swung out to try and place on Cherubimon's forehead. Cherubimon sparked, and Lucemon screamed, writhing in pain as Lightning covered his body. "I can't....... break it? but how?"

"The punishment for breaking the pact is /death!/" Cherubimon exclaimed. "I have tried before Master, I cannot break it and unfortunately neither can you!"

Lucemon growled. "Well then. There is more than one way to skin a gatomon." he smirked. "CRUSADORMON!"

A bright pink and gold mega knight digimon appeared behind him. "yes Lord Lucemon."

"Patrol the digital world. If the five evil Legendary warriors return in the company of humans, kill them. Bring me their spirits and their fractal codes. We will wipe their minds, spirits and data clean of the taint of this White Dragon."

"Yes Lord Lucemon." Crusadormon disappeared.

* * *

"I have to play bodyguard?" Gwen whined, drooping.

"We still have a couple of hours until Ichigo's team comes to help us. Why not grab some digimon to help us?" Takato asked. "Besides, it will be valuable experience for you." The late Tamer's face was lit with pride. "And I need time to catch up with the others, mmkay?"

"Alright Dah I'll go." She motioned for Ranamon to follow her. "It shouldn't take long right?"

"You'll need to explain the whole story to them, but they should be able to understand most of it." Takato told Gwen. "Get used to explaining concepts to those not familiar with them. Its a skill that will serve you very well later on as a shinigami captain and jounin gatekeeper."

Gwen sighed. "If you say so Dah." Gwen shifted Saeyamaru. "Drat, he's so much harder to carry as bankai."

"Here." Ranamon offered Gwen a sapphire blue sash. "I wear this all the time on mah shows. Use it to carry your zanpakuto. It should help my fans trust you too. Though don't be surprised if they start worshipping you too sugar, you're very pretty and as an ally of Ranamon you'd be their human heartthrob!"

"I'd much rather you introduce me as a shinigami Ranamon." Gwen told the digimon as she carefully tied the jii form of her zanpakuto across her back. She started digging in her pack, and wrapped a luxurious sapphire blue scarf around her neck.

It folded over her shoulders, almost like a second shirt. "Official dress, outside of battle I'm to cover as many of my tattoos as possible and offset the... scanty... appearance of my tube top shirt."

"urg, you have to wear such formal trappings?" Ranamon giggled, moving to unwind the formal scarf. "Show those arms off! You're coming to a special session of Ranamon's fanclub." She tossed it away.

Gwen blushed, because the others from Ranamon's world were watching this exchange. Takuya just stood there, gagging. Kouji sneered over at them both. Zoe giggled. Junpei just shook his head. And Tommy was too busy playing with Guilmon to take much notice. Grottomon had made for the fire and the fish and roots Sora was roasting for an evening meal. Arbormon had curled up to take a nap. But Mercurymon was watching closely, silently seated at the base of a massive oak tree.

"lets go." Gwen left behind her scarf, beaming at Ranamon. "you have such a fashion sense."

"You do too sugar. Love what you did to that BORING black and white uniform. Remind me to take a picture of those Tattoos mkay? They're so totally glam!" Ranamon purred.

As they left the camp a shadow fell over them. "What is it Mercurymon?"

"Ranamon dearest, wilt thou be alright on thine own?"

"mmhmm Mercurymon. Don't worry about me at all!" Gwen turned, and Ranamon hurried over, giving Mercurymon a kiss on the cheek. "I'll come back with lots of digimon to help us fight Aizen." She rested her head on his chest, smiling warmly all the while.

"Be carefull Ranamon, I have a terrible feeling of foreboding." Mercurymon said softly. "Something hast gone wrong back home, I feel it, whispering to me."

"I'll be carefull. Surely nobody would attack a servant of the mighty Cherubimon."

Gwen pulled out her gatekey. "Ranamon hurry uuuuuuuup. I know you wanna say goodbye to your mister metal cuddle buns. But we need to GO!"

"Right! Coming!" Ranamon grinned hugely as she followed Gwen. "Oh good! Its opened right onto my part of the lair!" Ranamon purred. "I need to send an e-mail."

They walked through the portal, Ranamon hurrying to a laptop set by a luxurious pool of warm water. She began typing keys. "This is a call out to all my fans! An urgent and important message! I need your help with something very important! Please meet at the usual performance hall in one hour! I need your help. There are digimon in danger if you don't come! I repeat, an urgent and important message! Please meet at the usual performance hall in one hour!" Ranamon disengaged the webcam.

"I can boost its transmission if you like."

"Oh can you?" Ranamon asked, turning the laptop towards Gwen. Gwen bit something on her palm, then pulled her hand away. A cable became visible, which she plugged into the laptop. "Oh myyyyy! You have some lovely toys! What /is/ that arm."

Gwen closed her eyes, and the screen began to blink. Gwen removed viruses as well, and shored up Ranamon's firewalls. "i've beefed up your security too. To answer, I'm what gatekeepers call a technopath. I can control computers with a thought." She wiggled the engagement and wedding rings on her fingers. "You and Mercurymon, you're an item right?"

"Hmm? Oh you're married? Oh how grand!"

"Yes, I have to say, the two of you make a cute couple. I'm a sucker for full metal jackets. One of my two wives is a cyborg."

"You have two wives?"

"I couldn't pick between them." Gwen replied. "Lovely room."

"I have my own personal trailmon. This way." Ranamon lead the way at a run. "We'll make it with ten minutes to spare." She followed Ranamon through an arched doorway into a terminal. "Bellapon!(4) I need you to take me to the usual concert hall and step on it. Its an Emergency!" Ranamon told the beautiful copper colored trailmon waiting for her. "Gwen, in here." Ranamon opened the door to a luxurious old fashioned car. "And hang on tight."

"I can't believe you have your own personal trailmon."

"Bellapon is a fan of mine. I get free rides from him. Any other trailmon I need to pay." Ranamon grinned, taking a seat in the center of the car by the window. The trailmon began to move.

Gwen giggled, taking a seat next to Ranamon and staring out the window. "Time to move." The ride was long, and Ranamon fussed over Gwen's hair most of the way. "Jeezuz lady, you're concieted."

"I don't understand, your hair is so..... fluffy. And messy, like a Leomon's mane! But it won't hold still! And I'm concieted because I know I have good looks and why shouldn't I /flaunt/ them. /You/ have good looks too. You should /flaunt/ them." Ranamon gushed. "Those tattoos make you look ruggedly cute, like a man with breasts." Gwen's face started to twitch.

"Ranamon, I am /perfect/ without makeup, hairspray, lipstick or nailpolish. I am /secure/ in my own body, which is /amazing/ considering that I lost an arm, got my face and bustier /shredded/ by a maddened free magic creature, had two kids and absorbed the soul of the God of Water."

"No wonder you got those tattoos. Sugar, if I'd had my face rearranged I'da covered the whole thing in ink." Ranamon shook her head.

"I don't need to look good Ranamon, because I know that I'm good. Security and inner strength completely negate the need for fancy clothes and pretty hair. As for makeup? Tattoos are makeup! I don't need anymore." Gwen told Ranamon with a wink.

"So..... what do you do as a gatekeeper."

"Well....." Gwen frowned. "I act as a liason between law enforcement and gatekeeper staff."

"Yawwwwn."

"I train apprentice gatekeepers."

"What fun is that unless they can be your minions?"

"Its plenty of fun." Gwen huffed. "I like working with Mello and Sai. They aren't as strong as I am, but they're still my friends." She grinned. "Alright, maybe this is more up your alley. Not only am I a hotshot Shinigami Lieutenant, I'm also a champion pokemon coordinator!"

"What're pokemon?" Ranamon asked, arching an eyebrow.

"They're kind of like digimon only they don't speak english. And when they evolve its permanent. Every year, Pokemon Coordinators gather for a series of contests to see who can show off their pokemon's special attacks in the most stylish way. I won two of the three Amica Festival contest ribbons, and then won three more contest ribbons to enter the grand festival. Then, my pokemon and I fought our way to the finals in the Grand Festival and won the golden ribbon cup. The SINNOH ribbon cup. Sinnoh contests are the toughest of all." Gwen grinned hugely, making a macho pose.

"Well then Sugar, it looks like we're more alike than you care to admit. We're both stars. We both care about style but your style is with these pokemon things. And champion? Honey winning a tournament like that is proof of your starhood. You just shine in a different arena."

"I'm not like you at all Ranamon." Gwen said coldly. "See, I tell you what I do as a gatekeeper because I have /pride/ in my work. As for the pokemon contests? I do them for /fun/. Because I love the thrill and challenge of competition." Gwen told Ranamon, frowning. "I don't think you recognize that."

The digimon quieted after that. _Fun? This girl competes for fun? But what about the /prize/! The fame! The fortune! She's famous but never seems to /care/ about it! Has she got no pride?_

"WOOO WOOOOO! ETA in five minutes Ranamon!" Bellapon called out.

Gwen stood, "Come on." She told Ranamon. "We have a job to do."

"Sugar, you need to learn to relax. I mean, its just a concert hall fulla my fans. Its not a whole swarma hollows like back at Aizen's base."

"Maybe not!" Gwen pointed. Smoke was billowing from the concert hall, digimon fleeing the premesis as fast as possible. "Looks like an after party riot!"

"RANAMOOOOOOOON!" A bunch of Toucanmon and Honeybeemon ran over and clung to Ranamon.

"There's a big scary mega digimon tearing up the concert hall!"

"Its here for you! It came to get you!"

"You gotta run for it! DarkTyrannomon and Monochromon attacked it to buy time for the smaller digimon to escape!"

"Alright listen up the lot of you!" Gwen told the wailing fans. "Ranamon and I will take care of that mega bully! Hide in that trailmon over there, STAY HIDDEN, take the other small digimon with you. Don't come out for ANYTHING!" She told them.

"Who are you?"

"She's a fellow star boys, she came to visit us and ask for our help." Ranamon told her fans. "She's a shinigami lieutenant and a master coordinator from the faraway land of Sinnoh."

"Yo." Gwen said cheerfully. "My dad is a digidestined, let me take him on!" Gwen knelt by the Toucanmon and Honeybeemon with a reassuring smile on her face. "But if you guys get yourselves killed then Ranamon won't have anymore fans. And that would be sad wouldn't it?"

"Uhuh!" They chorused.

"So go hide in the trailmon." She told the digimon. "GO GO GO!" She drew Saeyamaru. "Ready Ranamon? Lets go take this guy on!" She flicked out her wings, using Shunpo to shoot towards the battlesite. "Monochromon! DarkTyrannomon!"

Both champions had been beaten within an inch of their lives. They lay there sprawled on the ground, bruised and bleeding ichor. Gwen hurried to the two dinosaur digimon's sides. "Are you boys okay?"

"huh?"

"Its a humon!"

"With our Ranamon?"

"Boys, there's a Trailmon waiting around the back." Ranamon knelt by the digimon's muzzles, patting each gently. "If you can get up, go back there and take a rest. Get all the fans out of the concert hall and bring them to Trailmon Bellapon. Then be ready to flee at my signal." She told the two champions.

"Mmkay."

"Whatever you say Ranamon."

Gwen grinned. _Looks like I'm a good influence on her. She was actually /kind/ to them._ "Who are you and what do you want!??" She demanded of the Mega.

"I'm Crusadermon, one of the legendary Royal Knights. I've come to destroy Ranamon and purify her of the taint of the White Dragon who cursed Cherubimon!"

"What do you mean /taint/?"

"The cursed white dragon of the heavens tricked Cherubimon into signing the bloodpact. He has to obey on pain of death! Lord Lucemon has ordered that his Legendary Warriors be purified of her taint!"

"Purified! Why I never!" Ranamon huffed. "i'm as pure as pure can be sugar. You must have your wires crossed."

"What do you mean purified?"

"her memories and data will be purged of all traces of gatekeeper power."

"NO WAY!" Gwen snarled, puffing up her chest. "Ranamon can go where she pleases! She's no property of yours!"

Ranamon blinked in surprise. She was evil and Gwen was defending her?

"The choice is not yours to make human child." Crusadermon growled.

"Maybe you didn't get the message! I'm not just any kid, I'm a shinigami!" The air began to rattle and shake and crackle with sapphirine energy. Mist began to gather in the air around Gwen and her spiritual pressure began to rise. "Where I come from, all memories are converted into data, we call them Ghosts. But Ghosts can be hacked and modified, when they're broken they're gone for good. This makes memories all the more precious! You can't change them! You can't!" Gwen spun Saeyamaru from one hand, "I will stand in Ranamon's defense! If you want her you'll have to go through me!!" Gwen roared, plunging into battle against Crusadermon.

"Spiral masquerade!!!!!!"

"Holy Triquetta!"

"Don't do it Gwen! I'm not worth it!" Ranamon cried, grabbing Gwen from behind and pulling on the shinigami. "Just get the fans out of here and RUN!"

"He he he......... this is easier than I thought!" Crusadermon grinned. She used her shield to shove Gwen away. "Spiral Masquerade!!!!"

Ranamon screamed, dissolving and a ring of data appeared around her waist. The two spirits appeared. //I only have a few seconds to act. What would you do dad? No, there's no question what you would do.// Gwen yelled. "I DONT THINK SO!" She thrust out her left hand. A technopath of her caliper knew exactly how to intercept a transmission. "Memories are sacred! You can't rewrite Ranamon's memories like that! Don't worry Ranamon. I won't let you end this way! I won't let you die!" Gwen yelled, the fractal code changed course at the last minute, instead of flowing to Gwen's brace arm. The arm began to beep, and glow, and shrill with the strain she was putting on it. Her shinigami cellphone began to glow, changing into a sapphire blue and metallic gold D-tector with the flaming skull rune often put on Shinigami accessories. At the same time the sensor skin on Gwen's cybernetic left arm began to disintegrate from the strain of absorbing Ranamon's fractal code. Crusadermon shrilled in outrage at being thwarted, lunging forwards to grab Ranamon's spirits. Gwen leapt forwards. "I don't think so!" She shot forwards with Shunpo, grabbing both human and beast spirit. Gwen's D-tector began to beep, urging her to take Ranamon's spirits.

"Shinigami child, take the spirits of water and FIGHT!" Orphanimon urged.

"NO NO NO! She's not mine to take! She's a seperate being with feelings and memories of her own! She's not mine to take!!!!!" Gwen cried, resisting Orphanimon's command with tears streaming down her face. "Child of Water, Ranamon is no more. Honor her sacrifice! Take her spirit and fight!"

"NO!"

Suddenly, a faint image appeared before Gwen, Ranamon, sparkling with energy. "Gwen, you're not going to take this from him are you? TOAST THAT SUCKER AND GET DONE WITH IT!"

"But what about you?" Gwen asked.

"You're a fellow celebrity! I trust you. Take my power and stop him!" Ranamon yelled.

Gwen's vision began to white out, Seiryuu fighting to take over and defeat the monster threatening his chosen human. The dragon growled at Gwen. //Ranamon died protecting you, do not dishonor her sacrifice! Take her spirits and fight!// Seiryuu roared, taking over Gwen's limbs and grabbing her new D-tector. //But her body! Seiryuu don't make me do it!// Seiryuu snarled. //We can revive her later as long as we have her fractal code! HURRY! If Crusadermon takes her spirits its all over! But if you absorb them she won't be able to get them!// Seiryuu moved Gwen's hand, pushing the button on the D-tector and taking the spirits of both Ranamon and Calmarimon. His vocal cords moved Gwen's mouth, and Gwen's awareness whited out. "Spirit Evolution! Ranamon!" Gwen's wings divided, becoming four instead of two. Seiryuu began to take over the Digimon form, his power turning Ranamon from amphibious to reptillian.

//Gwen lovely, Saeyamaru, Ranamon, give me your power and I will defend us!// Seiryuu growled, as shinigami, zanpakuto spirit and digimon combined their power. Gwen's arm began to glow, a halo of water energy transforming the cybernetic limb into a massive sapphire blue talon.

"Ha ha ha! Girly even with Ranamon's power there's no way you can win." Crusadermon grinned hugely. "That little song and dance won't do you /any/ good."

"You're not talking to a girly anymore." Seiryuu growled. "You speak to the God of Water! All things of the lifegiving water gain strength from me, and so my strength multiplies Ranamon's power a hundredfold! I who slept for ten thousand years, who shared steps with the first Gatekeepers, served as Sword and Shield of Rassilon. I am older and stronger than any creature knows. Today Ranamon will have justice for what you have done to her, for today it is her power that will slay you!!!!! SLEEPING RAIN!!!!!!!"

The skies clouded over, lightning and thunder adding strength to the attack. The rain began to pour, appearing as normal rain elsewhere. But where Crusadermon stood a column of water stretched to the heavens. The spire began to constrict, paralyzing Crusadermon. The digimon could still breathe, a single stream of air in the sleep inducing water covered Crusadermon's head. This allowed the digimon air, but no movement. Seiryuu/Ranamon glared up at Crusadermon coldly. "What, you thought I was going to kill you? Steal your data? No, if I slew you Gwen would never forgive me. She's too pure and too kind. Too mercifull and forgiving for her own good." Seiryuu snorted as Crusadermon's body slowly went slack in sleep. "And I can never disobey the will of my master for very long."

By the time Seiryuu got to the concert hall, he gave up control of Gwen. The four wings Ranamon form dissolved, and so Gwen appeared as Ranamon to the digimon waiting at the trailmon. Staggering, exhausted, she reached the group of Fans. "Yaaaaay! Ranamon you toasted them!"

"yes, I sent the shinigami home." Gwen raised her voice for the digimon to hear, "Because of this, I am sending you all home. Get some rest and heal your wounds. My loyal fans, I'm sorry you were injured coming to my defense. Take care of yourselves."

"Will you be okay Ranamon?" The Honeybeemon asked.

Gwen stopped. "I'll be fine Honeybeemon. But be carefull, Crusadermon ran, but he might come back to the concert hall."

"Okay! We'll be carefull." The fans split up, disbursing for home. "Bellapon, go home. I'll get there on my own."

"Alright Lady Ranamon. Take care!" The trailmon pulled away.

As soon as she was sure she wasn't being watched, Gwen pulled out her gatekey and cut a hole in space.


	6. Gwen collapses! Ichigo and Izzy's plan!

Notes: There's a guest appearance by ghost in the shell characters Aramaki, Major and Ishikawa. You no like ghost in the shell deal. They're only here for a couple of chapters to do maitenance to Gwen's arm and then they're gone.

There's also a boatload of yaoi pairings split off in here. When the lemons begin I'll change the rating, but for now enjoy the utter cuteness of the romantic designs of each of my fave digidestined pairings.

* * *

A crystal clear voice a little ways off alerted the Digidestined to Gwen's return. Her voice sounded so sad, anguished. At the same time filled with joy. The tone puzzled Yamato as he raised his head to listen.

_Kizutsuita hane ga _

_Kiseki o yobiokoshite _

_Futatabi mau yo _

_Yume no kaze ni nori _

_Kirameku niji o koete _

_Tabi no tsuzuki e_

_Sora o miagete saa!  
Michinaru sono tobira hirake!_

_Hurt wings Will wake a miracle _

_And dance again _

_They ride on the wind of dreams _

_Overcome the sparkling rainbow _

_And continue their journey_

_Look up at the sky, c▓mon!  
Open the unknown door!_

"Oh, thats the Haruka Sambiku." Orihime told Yamato. She was eating some of the campfire food Sora and Juri had made for the group.

"The what?" Yamato asked.

"Its a gatekeeper ritual. The singing of music to send a message to other gatekeepers. Its like the way wolves howl to each other to tell each other they're coming." Orihime explained.

_Mirai e in the sky _

_Kanjita mama ni _

_Shinjita! it▓s my soul _

_Doko made mo iku yo _

_Michibike! in the sky _

_Minna o tsurete _

_Shinjita! it▓s my soul _

_Hirari maiagaru_

_To the future, in the sky _

_While I felt it I believed it! _

_it▓s my soul I▓ll go anywhere _

_Guide! in the sky _

_I brought along everyone _

_And believed! it▓s my soul _

_I▓ll soar up nimbly_

"Thats odd though, I only hear one voice." Rukia frowned. "And the words, they sound anguished. They're the sort of words one might use if a mission failed, not the song one might use for victory."

"Did something go wrong?" Tai asked, looking from one girl to the other.

"I dunno." Rukia frowned.

"I do." Orihime said with a worried look on her face. "I only sense one spiritual pressure, but it kind of feels like Gwen's and kind of doesn't. Its very strange."

_Tomaranai jounetsu _

_Musuu no hoshi no naka de _

_Kagayakimasu yo _

_Ikutsu mo no jidai _

_Bokura wa meguriaeta _

_Yobiau you ni_

_Chikara wa mugendai!  
Doko made de mo ai ni iku yo_

_My unstopping enthusiasm _

_Within the countless stars _

_Shines even more _

_In the many eras _

_We were able to meet _

_As if calling out for each other_

_My power is infinite!  
I▓ll go meet you anywhere_

"But that is Ranamon's singing voice! I knows it real well by now." Grottomon growled.

"Could somethin have happened to Ranamon when she went back?" Arbormon asked.

_Mirai e in the sky _

_Kokoro no mama ni _

_Shinjita! it▓s my soul _

_Yume o kanaeyou _

_Michibike! in the sky _

_Owaranai yume _

_Shinjita! it▓s my soul _

_Hirari maiagare_

_To the future, in the sky _

_I believed it _

_As my heart was! it▓s my soul _

_I▓ll grant your wish _

_Guide! in the sky I believed in _

_An endless dream! it▓s my soul _

_So soar up nimbly_

Takato heard the two evil digimon's words and tensed, listening carefully. Guilmon pushed up under his arm. "Takatomon? Are you alright?"

"something's wrong." Takato said quietly. "Something happened."

"That song, it sounds almost like Ranamon is saying goodbye!" Guilmon crooned.

_NaNa NaNa┘ _

_Sunao na tsubasa dare ni mo kegasarenu you _

_NaNa NaNa┘ _

_Owarinaki tabiji e_

_Sora o miagete saa!  
Michinaru sono tobira hirake!_

_NaNa NaNa┘ _

_Honest wings seem to not be soiled by anyone _

_NaNa NaNa┘ _

_Going on their unending journey_

_Look up at the sky, c▓mon!  
Open the unknown door!_

"Saying goodbye?" Takuya blinked from where he'd been bringing Bokumon and Neemon up to speed. "Whyever for?"

Zoe humphed. "Well if she goes good riddens. Its not like one less evil digimon is much of a loss."

_Mirai e in the sky _

_Kanjita mama ni _

_Shinjita! it▓s my soul _

_Doko made mo iku yo _

_Michibike! in the sky _

_Minna o tsurete _

_Shinjita! it▓s my soul _

_Hirari maiagaru _

_Michibike! in the sky _

_Owaranai yume _

_Shinjita! it▓s my soul _

_Hirari maiagare_

_To the future, in the sky _

_While I felt it I believed it! it▓s my soul _

_I▓ll go anywhere _

_Guide! in the sky _

_I brought along everyone _

_And believed! it▓s my soul _

_I▓ll soar up nimbly _

_Guide! in the sky I believed in _

_An endless dream! it▓s my soul _

_So soar up nimbly_

The figure reached the edge of the campfire's light. The other digidestined stood, trying to see if Ranamon had brought her fans with her to help in the fighting. "Huh, Ranamon where..."

"Aaaah, they've returned with backup! Great work Rana......... huh?" Tai had been talking with Ichigo, the Shinigami's team had finally arrived. In addition Leomon and Andromon had brought Piximon, Centauromon, and several others Tai had fought alongside before to help. Their little resistance was growing.

The sight that greeted Tai's eyes confused him greatly. Ranamon was carrying Gwen's zanpakuto, was wearing Gwen's sash and shinigami badge. And at Ranamon's hip was.......... "Hey Takuya, isn't that the digivice you Legendary Warriors use?"

Takato's head whipped around, eyes widening in fear. "GWEN!"

A whirl of data surrounded Ranamon, and Gwen was left behind. Tears filled the young shinigami's eyes as she pulled the D-tector from her sash. "We were ambushed by a mega when we reached the concert hall where she was to meet her fans. Ranamon warned me not to fight, but Crusadermon attacked and slew her! He was.... he was going to rewrite her memories so she wouldn't remember meeting the gatekeepers." Gwen sobbed.

She ran over to Takato and threw her arms around her father. "I'm sorry daddy, I know you didn't want me to follow you. I tried to save Ranamon I really did. You know as well as I do, memories are sacred and holy. You can't alter them with falsehoods!" Gwen sobbed. "Seiryuu...... said when this mess is over as long as I have Ranamon's spirits and Fractal Codes I can revive her. Please, you know how to do that right dah?" Gwen sobbed.

"We'll find a way my little blossom. We'll find a way I promise." Takato said quietly, ruffling his daughter's hair.

"Given the circumstances Gwen, do you want us to call Major and ZP to join us." Rukia asked quietly. "And maybe Jazra too?"

"I'll call Major and ZP." Gwen said numbly. "Don't bother Jazra. She has her own problems helping Kailai, you know Kailai's first sensei Leela got in a pretty nasty mess. They have an assignment to do I don't want to bother them." Gwen said faintly.

"Alright. Take a rest. You look like hell." Tai told Gwen.

"I couldn't do it. Seiryuu took control and forced my hand, he merged his power with Ranamon's and took on a Mega bare handed using my body. I SHOULD LOOK LIKE HELL!!!!"

"Hey Gwen." Masaru said gently. "When this is over, come with me to DATS. There's a machine there that might be able to revive Ranamon."

"Thanks Masaru." Gwen replied. Then she called out to Major and ZP. //Major. ZP. I need you in the digital world. I just got the crap beaten out of me by a mega, and I seem to have inherited dah's level of technopathy.//

_Gwen, if we come now we'd have to bring some of the others with us._ Major frowned.

_Thats fine, Gramps has some experience with Digital life forms. God I think I feel sick._

_What happened?_

_I absorbed a hybrid digimon's data. My ghost is trying to merge with the digimon's fractal code, and I'm trying to keep them separated. The effort is making me sick. And it doesn't help that Seiryuu is trying to encourage the merger. _(1)

_I'm coming! And I'm bringing Boss and Ishikawa with me. ZP promised an exhibition zoid battle alongside Bit and Pierce. They're busy. _

_Be carefull! Digimon work in more complex ways than any AI you've ever encountered._ Gwen warned Major. _I need to lie down._ As Gwen passed a silent quartet. Duskmon, Mercurymon, Arbormon and Grottomon. Duskmon watched with silent, blank eyes. Grottomon looked pitying, Arbormon confused, and the look on Mercurymon's face was of pure, unadulterated hatred. "She loved you, Mercurymon. She wanted me to tell you that."

"It doth noone good anymore doth it?" The steel warrior demanded, snapping at Gwen. "Her love doth nobody good in death!"

"Then here's a newsflash, someone turned on Cherubimon. Crusadermon was working for someone who claimed to be in control of YOUR master. Watch your back Mercurymon. She would not want you to die to her murderer."

"You mean you didn't finish him off?" Yamato demanded, growling.

"Seiryuu did not finish Crusadermon off. Because meeting Death with Death is WRONG Yamato. And for the Tamers and Legendary Warriors, the digimon they slay do not get a second chance. The Tamers absorb the data of the digimon they defeat to become stronger. They cannot digivolve without it! And the Legendary warriors take the fractal code, the soul and body, of the digimon they kill, and this process does not always yield a digitama when its over." Gwen replied. "Seiryuu knew that I would never forgive him if he answered Murder with Murder."

"This Seiryuu, what exactly /is/ he?" Takuya asked as he and the others on his team crowded in around Gwen. Gwen curled up in a ball beneath a tree, digging a blanket out of her backpack and pulling it over her body. Matt and Sora took a seat near Gwen's other side, Gabumon and Biyomon listening alongside them.

"The ancestor of Azulongmon. In fact I would go so far to say that Azulongmon is his Avatar, his servant. Seiryuu is a force over 10,000 years old. He has called many of the most powerful gatekeepers of all time his host, serving as their sword and shield. He is my inner demon and inner angel. Thanks to him I have total, unswerving control over water. Once I had her spirits and had transformed, he bolstered Ranamon's power one hundred fold, changing her Draining Rain attack to Sleeping Rain and forcing Crusadermon to fall asleep. He's probably awake by now. On her own, Ranamon is only about as strong as a champion digimon. Seiryuu increased her power so that he could take on Crusadermon. He felt that it was justice that Ranamon's power defeat Ranamon's murderer."

Meanwhile the Tamers sat down near Takato, Izzy, Urahara and Ichigo's team sitting with them. Tai, Daisuke, Kari, Mimi, Joe, Miyako and Iori gathered around as well. Tai felt secure with "adult digidestined" around to offer their guidance. "Takato, what did she mean by memories are sacred and holy?" Jenryaa asked. "is that shinigami code for something?"

Takato sighed. "The world I spent my teenage years in, all people's minds, memories, personality, soul, are cyberized. Turned into lines of digital code. The cyberbrain technology that allows this allows whomever has it to telepathically hack and control computers. In a world where all thoughts are data, memories can be altered. False memory syndrome as its called, is the mental damage related to having one's Ghost altered. The theory was that AI's like digimon didn't have Ghosts. But we all know that thats not true. Digimon /do/ have ghosts. I think thats what's making Gwen sick. Because she inherited my tamer potential, the automatic response of her ghost was to absorb digimon data. Unfortunately despite having a D-tector digivice, Gwen has inherited all the hallmarks of a Tamer as far as her talent within the realms of the digidestined. Especially in her ability to absorb data when she's in the digital world." Takato turned and looked over at Gwen, who had curled up under her blanket and was seemingly asleep.

Suddenly Izzy's laptop beeped. "Its e-mail from Gwen. There's a video attachment. It says 'I need to sleep, but if you want to know what happened you can see it from my eyes. Be sure to give this to Major and Gramps when they arrive. They will be coming with Section 9's chief technician. I need some maitenance done that you cannot manage on your own.'"

"She can do that?" Jenryaa demanded, leaning over Izzy's shoulder.

"Gwen is a technopath, a person who can control computers by means of her thoughts." Takato replied. "Because she is cyberized her memories are constantly being recorded. She can even replay them or in this case send them to another location. She's too tired to tell us herself."

"Gwen's biggest problem is that she has a massive amount of power, but her control over it is instinctive. She doesn't know /how/ she does what she does, just that she can do it. And that massive strength can also backfire and result in her becoming completely exhausted." Uryu explained to the digidestined.

Izzy opened the file. "oh wow. Slightly blurry. Gwen needs some glasses." The digidestined all crowded close to see what happened. They could hear her thoughts, and then Gwen's vision whited out. She couldn't see, but they could all hear Seiryuu's responses. His call and his explanation for the astronomical increase in power, the slight change in attack. The paralysis and sleep effect added to Ranamon's draining rain attack.

Suddenly Gwen's vision returned. "Where am I? What happened?" her voice, her thoughts, sounded exhausted. Gwen lifted her hands into view. "oh no........ he didn't! he couldn't! He has no right to do this! I don't /want/ this!" Her voice, her thoughts, were terrified and weak exclamations. "Ranamon isn't mine..... she's a seperate person with seperate thoughts. Don't make me take away her future, Seiryuu please!"

"Talk about angsty."

Sora gently pushed her way through the crowd of digidestined. "Let me check on Gwen." she told the others. When she reached Gwen's sleeping area she was greeted by a sight she didn't recognize. A woman with short purple hair and red eyes, dressed in a leotard, denim jacket and knee length boots. An old man stood behind her, his hair was cut in a severe style, balding slightly. A well built man with dark brown hair, a mustache and beard stood back from the other two. "Uhhhh....." Sora flushed. "You're Gwen's teammates right?" _Wow, this Major Kusanagi person is gorgeous!_

The woman stood. "Yes, I'm Major Kusanagi. Section 9, Gwen said she needed us, she was exhausted. These are Chief Aramaki and Ishikawa. What happened?"

"We were hoping you could help us figure that out." The group of digidestined turned. Izzy blinked, "She sent Izzy an e-mail with a video file. It contained the battle she was in from her eyes. The note said to have a look ourselves then hand off the file to you guys when you arrived. Is that a........ common thing..... where you're from?" Sora asked shyly.

"Not really. People where we're from tend to keep their memories private. But its done in police work if a detective is knocked out and taken to the hospital."

"That explains it then."

"URRRRRRRRGGG!" Izzy's computer suddenly slowed to a crawl. "Damnit! The file was too big. It totally fried my laptop!"

"Allow me." Ishikawa held out his hand for the laptop. "I'll take that file off of your hands and make it good as new." He dug a laptop of his own out of a carry bag and began to hook it up to Izzy's laptop.

"I should warn you guys, when you're in the digital world your cyberbrains give you a huge advantage." Takato told the three sectioners. "You can gather data for an attack just the way you do when diving the net."

"Well thats a relief. We're just here to figure out what happened though. Fighting hollows isn't our forte." Major replied.

"OOOOOOOOH! Daisuke its been so long!" Bokumon squealed, tackling Aramaki and throwing his arms around the old man.

"Bokumon. Its been awhile." Aramaki chuckled. "Have you learned everything you wanted yet?"

"Not quite but almost!" Bokumon purred.

"He's not.......... your partner is he?" Takuya's jaw dropped slightly.

"No, I don't have a digivice. When I was a new tap, I was told I would get to meet an actual AI. At that time there were no androids or cyborgs and certainly no multiped tanks like the tachikoma. Bokumon arrived the day after. He wanted to learn about humans and I wanted to learn about artificial intelligence." Aramaki slowly pried the fussy rookie off of him.

Bokumon smirked, pulling a tiny item out of his book. "Check it out Takuya. See?" He held up the tiny pendant that he'd marked his book with. It was shaped like a tiny silver dagger, very ornate and delicate. "My valkire's dagger." Bokumon purred.

"Valkire?" Miyako asked.

"Miyako, Valkire are gatekeepers with incomplete powers. We need special assistance in order to travel between worlds. Unfortunately it was not a privelage I earned on a permanent basis." Bokumon drooped. "so when I went home I wasn't able to see how my darling Daisuke had done for himself."

"Quite well thank you." Aramaki chuckled. Ishikawa was doing something with Izzy's laptop. Suddenly a message from Gwen triggered.

"Major darling, if you or anyone else from the section are viewing this, it means I'm too tired to tell you what happened. I think Ranamon's data is making me sick. My ghost keeps trying to absorb her fractal code. I need you to find it and isolate the data, then send it to my digivice. If my ghost absorbs Ranamon's fractal code we'll never get her back. Please Major, gramps, I want you to do it. I'm sure izzy's a fine technician, but he's got nothing on you and grampa..... I love you, and most of all I trust you. If we can protect Ranamon's data from getting absorbed Masaru thinks DATS might be able to bring her back with their machine." Gwen explained. "Please! you have to isolate the data. When that happens Ranamon's power will be stablized and I can use it without fear of harming her."

That was when Sora ran over. "GUYS!!!! Gwen has a fever!!!!" She cried urgently. "I checked, she's burning up."

Ishikawa, Major and Aramaki looked at each other. "You don't think she caught a virus in her arm again?"

"No, its the strain of keeping her ghost from absorbing Ranamon's fractal code." Takato sighed. "Unlike the tachikoma digimon have ghosts. They just take a different form that we're used to. And unfortunately in Ranamon's digital world fractal codes merge all the time. Its in Ranamon's programming code to automatically merge with the person who captures her code. Her spirits are in Gwen's digivice, which means that they're stable. Major, I can't do it anymore. I lost my cyberbrain when I died. You guys are gonna need to do it."

"Relax Takato."

"Ghost?" Daisuke (digidestined Daisuke) asked. "What's a ghost?"

Hikari looked puzzled as well. "You mean like the big scary things that go 'wooooo?'"

Takato explained. "People like Motoko and Ishikawa have been Cyberized. That is to say that they've got special implants called a cyberbrain. It enables them to control computers telepathically like Gwen can, the problem is that when someone has been cyberized their thoughts and emotions, their memories and in some cases even their senses are all digital. ENTIRELY DATA." He emphasized. "I got a cyberbrain when I reached Chuunin rank gatekeeper. I was a serious natural. Working with digimon and seeing all the forms rampent data could take in the digital world gave me an advantage in their world. They don't have digimon but they sometimes have monsters."

"oh yes, I'm sure you were so busy with your travels that you'd forget about who your real friends are." Jenryaa growled.

"THATS ENOUGH JEN!" Ruki yelled. "You owe Takato an apology. He's DEAD For crying out loud. After this mission we are /never/ seeing him again." She shrilled. Renamon remained more or less coolheaded.

"THATS NOT FAIR!" Terriermon started hopping up and down. "he ABANDONED us!"

"That's not TRUE!" Takato bellowed. "I was FORCED to leave. I wasn't ALLOWED to come back! And I wasn't allowed to bring Guilmon with me the........" He refused to look his partner in the eye. "... the Astralgator wouldn't let me bring him. She said the... the digital hazard power on his chest and head, she said it was a threat and that guilmon couldn't leave the digital world."

"Who is this Astralgator anyway?" Kari asked.

Gatomon perked up. "I remember! Wizardmon was a gatekeeper, he said that the Astralgator is the personal servant of the Dragon Goddess Benten. She acts on behalf of the goddess on the earthly plane and is the leader of all gatekeepers. But because the Astralgator has been assassinated so many times nobody knows who she is. Only a select few gatekeepers know her true identity. Instead the Astralgator uses the name of a constellation as her title and her name."

"Yes, Astralgator Vela was the first to refuse my request. Then a digidestined gatekeeper took the title Astralgator Eridanus, and /she/ refused as well. After that Astralgator Leo and Astralgator Orion did the same. I've made my case to Astralgator Crux, but I doubt she'll overturn the others decisions."

"Oh I don't think she'll object to Guilmon." Rukia snickered. "Astralgator Crux is very understanding. She's built a reputation for being in favor of "interdimensional cooperation" she'll allow Guilmon to travel. It would be completely out of character if she didn't."

"I was told she'd let me know by the end of the week." Takato said quietly, despair in his voice. "But it won't matter anyway. I /died/. I'm just being pulled out of retirement for this mission and then I'm gone again."

"You gotta keep hoping Takatomon." Guilmon whined, nuzzling his partner.

Motoko had been working on Gwen's arm with Aramaki, and Ishikawa stood up then. "Gwen is going to be out overnight. Major thinks she can fix Gwen's arm with a defensive barrier to keep her ghost from absorbing Ranamon's fractal code. But its not going to last forever. You need to finish the mission and convince DATS to lend you their equipment within one month. After that the barrier will break and I'm not so sure Major will be able to rebuild it. The digimon code Izzy showed me is pretty raw. I've never seen an AI that complex in my entire career. There's no telling what the side effects will be even now."

"If you have trouble Ishi," Takato snickered. "Think of it as a more realisitic version of the Net but with its own yokels."

"What's a yokel?" Veemon blinked.

"A Yokel, an eccentric local." Ichigo snorted. "I don't think we've met mister Ishikawa. I'm Ichigo Kurosaki, substitute soul reaper. Gwen called me in because Ranamon raised a stink over "Legit shinigami" messing in the digital world's affairs."

Ishikawa chuckled. "I think Gwen mentioned you. The other half blood shinigami."

"Yeah, thats right." Ichigo snorted. He turned to Tai. "Tai, given that Gwen isn't going to be fighting ready just yet, may I suggest that we split off into teams and begin wearing the enemy down."

"How so?" Tai asked, frowning. "I thought Gwen and Takato were the strongest out of us?"

"Not so, I'm strong enough to beat a majority of the shinigami captains, including Takato." Ichigo said calmly. "My idea is simple. We harass Aizen's forces, run around the edge of the field of control spires, knocking them down and then taking out any hollows we encounter along the way. By doing this we slow down Aizen's progress. He has to replace the control spires he lost /and/ find new workers to build the rest of the base including the Seki Seki rock forcefield." Ichigo explained. "Zangetsu thinks it can be done, even with a minority of our forces. Why, if we sent all the girls out as the first one, then send Matt and Joe out with the group from DATS and Izzy, Takeru and Daisuke out with Cherubimon's portion of the Legendary warriors we can occupy ourselves effeciently until Gwen wakes up."

"Sounds like a plan. By rotating our forces we can make things easier when we finally do attack." Tai agreed.

"Sounds like fun!" Gatomon exclaimed.

"I'm in." Shuichon chirped. "Right Lopmon?"

"Yes most definately!" Lopmon nodded.

Rukia then spotted Lopmon and Terriermon and squealed. "BUNNIEEEEEEESSSSS!" She scooped up Lopmon and Terriermon and gave them both a bear hug.

"Ho boy not again!" Terriermon exclaimed, eyes turning to curlicues. Lopmon just laughed. "You'd think by that age they'd be past the mister pretty pants thing..."

Rukia blinked. "Huh? who's mister pretty pants? That sounds like something a four year old would dream up. I just have a thing for bunnies." She mooned, cheek rubbing Terriermon.

"When Shuichon was four she would dress Terriermon up in a dress." Explained Henry. "And call him 'Mister pretty pants.'"

Rukia pouted, hearts floating above her head. "You poor baby! Thats a horrible thing to do to a living creature! I know Kon hates it when Ichigo's sister dresses him up in girl's clothes." Rukia was still mooning over Terriermon. "Can I take you home with me? You're so cuuuuuuteeee."

"I have to go home with Jenryaa!" Terriermon cried in alarm.

Meanwhile Izzy was calculating. "Okay, there are 31 digidestined and ten gatekeepers. Thats not counting those from Niihama City's Section 9 because Aramaki already said they aren't here to fight. And I'm counting Takato as a digidestined even if he's also a shinigami. We also have the four digimon who serve Cherubimon and DThat means that we have plenty to split up. I reccomend Five groups. Except for Makoto and Ai's team which will have one extra. Gwen is out, which brings us down to 8 gatekeepers until she wakes up. So split them up into pairs. Each pair works with two teams of digidestined except for one group which will end up working with three. Give me a few minutes and I'll have straws set up so you can draw teams." Izzy told them all.

Izzy turned his back and a few minutes later he said. "Okay everybody, draw a straw. Orihime and Renji, you'll be working with two groups. I think the raw power of Renji's bankai will be a nice power boost if we meet any hollows and Orihime's healing abilities are invaluable. Even more so than Ichigo or Rukia's. So I'm sorry Orihime if I overuse your talents."

"Its no problem at all!" Orihime said cheerfully. "I'm glad to help out. Though......" Orihime refused to look at Izzy.

Ichigo put a hand on Orihime's shoulder. "Hey, I know you want to be able to fight. You'll get your chance eventually. For now we need to play to our strengths."

"Mkay." Orihime sighed in disgust.

"Hey, its a compliment. I really wish we'd had a healer on our first journey." Izzy told Orihime with a beaming grin.

"Don't I count?" Joe asked with a pout, wrapping an arm around Izzy's waist.

"You weren't in medical school then Joe. Though your grasp of first aid was very usefull, it doesn't have the same sort of power as Orihime's does."

"Oh come on!" Joe was about to protest further when Izzy leaned in to give him a gentle kiss. The kiss seemed to calm the digidestined down.

"Alright, did everyone draw their straws?" Asked Izzy.

There was a general murmur of consensus as everyone paused to look at their straws. "Good." Izzy eyed the groups.

The first group consisted of Taichi and Agumon, Takeru and Patamon, Takato and Guilmon, Kenta and MarineAngemon, Tomoki Himi, Mello, and Sai. The second group was Yamato and Gabumon, Hikari and Gatomon, Ruki and Renamon, Shuichon and Lopmon, Zoe, Ichigo, and Rukia. Group number three was Sora Biyomon, Ken Wormmon, Henry and Terriermon, Ryo Cyberdramon, Duskmon, Renji, and Orihime. Group four was Mimi and Palmon, Daisuke Motomiya and Veemon, Ai and Makoto and Impmon, Takuya, Arbormon, Sado, and Uryu. Group five consisted of Izzy and Tentomon, Miyako and Hawkmon, Jeri and Leomon, Koji, Grottomon, Urahara, and Touma. And Group five was Joe and Gomamon, Iori and Armadillomon, Kazu and Andromon, Junpei, Mercurymon, Masaru, Yoshino, Orihime and Renji.

"Every three hours, one group will go out to fight." Izzy told them. "You'll circle the field of control spires /once/, knock down the ones on the edge of the battlefield but do not enter it, and defeat any hollows you encounter. We'll wear down the enemy's defenses and give Gwen a day to rest and regain her strength. Then we'll attack."

"Here here!!!" Mello grinned. "Finally some action!"

"Everyone else get whatever rest you can. Got it?" Izzy asked, looking around. "Tired digimon don't fight well."

"You's got that right." Arbormon yawned. "I'm goins over dere to get some shuteyes. Any plantmons who wanna put down roots I suggest you's do it now. Cause once I fall asleep, foget aboudit."

"Arbormon you're so cute you're like some of the boys down in Little Italy." Mimi beamed. "Fogetaboudit." She mimicked. "Why, I wouldn't be surprised to see a digimon with your accent in one of the old mob movies."

"Really? You's think I should do da show business?" Arbormon asked as Mimi and Palmon followed him away to put down roots.

Sora and Biyomon hurried after them, Sora sshhhhhing Biyomon. "Quiet. We don't to disturb the boys with their... fun... tonight."

"What humans think of as 'fun' Sora is entirely up for debate." Biyomon sighed. "What is it with humans and this sex thing?"

"Never mind." Sora sighed.

"Drat, that means I don't get any private time with Yamato tonight." Taichi growled. "You know sex on the forest floor of the digital world is a lot better than sex in a bed."

"I'll make it up to you." Yamato smirked, rolling his eyes and giving his koi a kiss. "For now, FOCUS."

"Me three." Ruki dragged Juri off into the woods. "Renamon make sure we aren't disturbed alright?"

"Alright Ruki, enjoy your evening." Renamon leapt into the trees.

Takeru glared at Daisuke and Ken. "Don't start without me. Knowing you Dai, Ken will be covered in hickies by the time I get back!"

Kenta was blushing hugely. "See you soon Kazu. Don't worry I'll be back."

Miyako more or less dragged Hikari to a secluded area of the camp site. "Come on. Lets curl up somewhere away from the boys. They'll be screwing around all night and we'll never get any rest!"

Ichigo snorted, "come on renji, I guess its no use staying closeted here. Not with so many... yokels... already paired off." He dragged the red haired shinigami away from camp.

Masaru looped an arm around Touma's neck. "How about you and I go find someplace... unoccupied?" He smirked. Touma just shook his head, leaning lightly against Masaru and allowing himself to be steered away from the camp fire.

"Hey Kouji, come join me!" Takuya tugged gently on Kouji's hand. "All these people around makes me wanna get some... alone time ya know?" He asked, as a clueless Kouji allowed himself to be dragged off.

The mass exodus of couples from the clearing left Zoe in a fit of giggles. (2) Tomoki blinked. "I'll tell you when you're older. Tomoki you'd better hurry!" She eyed Junpei, who had a scheming smirk on his face. "WHAT evil plot is going through your mind?" She demanded.

"Oh nothing." Junpei whistled innocently, but his face was beat red and Zoe could almost see the gears turning in his head. _If Takuya is going to try and seduce Kouji then that means Zoe is all mine!_

_Oh boy, bet he thinks I'd automatically go out with him if Takuya gets Kouji to go on a date. How stupid does he think I am??? _Zoe wondered, face twitching.

Izzy chuckled softly and Joe gave Izzy a kiss on the cheek. "I'm going to check on Gwen and then we'll cuddle mkay?"

"Fine with me. I have a few more calculations to run before bed." Izzy purred from where he sat with Tentomon. The rookie leaned backwards against Izzy, so that the two were back to back.

"You're really so in love with him you'd risk the others finding out?" Tentomon asked, cocking his head curiously.

"Tentomon look around, I'm willing to bet that everyone who just left is part of a couple."

Meanwhile Joe joined Major, Aramaki and Ishikawa. "I'm a medical student, is there anything I can do to help out?"

"Let the Major do her thing." Ishikawa steered Joe a few feet away from Major. "See?" He pointed to Gwen's arm, which was blinking. "Gwen is a technopath, which means she can telepathically control computers and even channel data if she wanted. Since you're a med student I'll explain a few things about it to you. Takato had the power too but he lost it when he died. However, it has medical drawbacks which make having a technopath on a team more problematic. The most obvious is what happens if there's a technological malfunction or whomever it is catches a computer virus. The thing that Major is wearing around her neck, that grey collar is called a Dummy Barrier. It protects her from any viruses or bugs she might catch working on Gwen.

"The other big problem with having a technopath, depending on the type of technology that makes their power possible, are two illnesses that could be absolutely devastating if they're caught. The first of these is Cyberbrain schlorosis. A person affected by cyberbrain schlorosis has the cyberbrain technology we use turn on their brain, slowly crystalizing brain cells. The only thing that holds this illness in check is a treatment called the Murai vaccine. For awhile the treatment prescribed was micromachines, but there was a massive scandal involving corporate blackmail that brought their innefectiveness into the light. The Murai vaccine has been approved after over six years of debate and damage done. The other danger is cyberbrain autism, or closed shell syndrome. Thats not to be confused with Autistic mode, in which a person closes their cyberbrain and its functions to outside sources, which is basically like turning off the internet on a computer. Closed shell syndrome patients are actually too well suited to cyberbrain technology, so when they gain technopathy using a cyberbrain they close themselves off to outside influences. Its symptoms are so much like classic autism and classic aspergers syndrome, with the addition that the person attempts to compulsively hack and brain dive the people in its vicinity."

"Interesting. Can this closed shell syndrome be treated with therepy?"

"In some cases yes. However, in some the person simply closes him or herself off to the rest of the world. One of our early missions involved a treatment center that had been hacked. In those cases the children there were actually able to hack our surveillance equipment out in the yard, including the android we'd been using as a communications monitor."

Joe whistled. "That sounds like something... well, I won't say a nearly incurable disease and a scandal is amazing in a positive sense, but its something I would definately want to see with my own two eyes some day." Joe eyed Major and Gwen. "But why is Motoko the only one Gwen wants working on her?"

Major was sitting indian style on the ground, a wire running from the Dummy barrier on her neck to Gwen's cybernetic left arm. Her eyes were closed, hands folded in her lap, her expression disturbingly serene. Gwen's face was screwed up as if in concentration or pain.

"They're married for one. They've already got a telepathic connection for another. Not technopathy but genuine telepathy." Explained Ishikawa. "Its better that Major do it. I may be chief technician, but /nobody/ at Section 9 is better than the Major but Chief."

"I see. I wonder what Motoko is doing in there."

"I have a suspicion we'll find out soon enough." Frowned Ishikawa.

* * *

Gwen's inner world was a forest very much like the one in the world outside her mind. A massive lake sat in the center. At the bottom of the lake was where Seiryuu sat, along with Gwen's original guardian spirit, Tengu, and now Ranamon occupied the lake bottom as well. Saeyamaru roamed the lake shores above, sitting with Gwen in the mist.

Gwen sighed, looking over the edge of the water. Ranamon surfaced, "While I don't mind the accomodations a little explanation would be nice!"

"This is my inner world Ranamon. My guardians sleep down there until I need them." Gwen replied. "I moved you here to try and keep your data isolated."

"Whyever for?"

"Because, my soul is made up of data. And it keeps trying to absorb your fractal code. Masaru and Kudamon think that DATS could separate you if your data can be retrieved. But if my ghost absorbs your fractal code we'll never get you separated. Unfortunately, I have a destiny in the SOUL SOCIETY. Meaning that I can't serve two masters and join the digidestined. As much as Orphanimon and Seiryuu wanted me to."

"Seiryuu's that dragon down there right? Who's the tengu?"

"My original guardian. You see, when I first joined the gatekeepers I was a wind type." Gwen explained. "But then I entered the shrine of Seiryruu and absorbed his spirit and powers. They stay that way until I die and Tengu gets to sleep until I become a full fledged shinigami."

"Aka when you're dead." Ranamon flipped over on her back. "I can't get out of here either!!!"

"The lake is isolated. Its a place of rest. Haven't you ever heard the story of Arthur and Excalibur?"

"No I haven't." Ranamon shrugged. "I don't listen to human legends. Remember, Cherubimon thinks that humans are evil."

"I guess not." Gwen sighed. "I'll tell it to you when the battle is over. Kay? Promise."

"I'll hold you to that sugar. But I'd love to come out."

"Sorry Ranamon." Gwen stretched out a hand, taking the digimon's and squeezing it comfortingly. "When I let you out again, it will be for a romantic night with Mercurymon. My treat."

"REALLY??? You'd do that sugar? aw you don' have to. Is that why you're keeping me here?"

"Its because you aren't mine to keep is why." Gwen told Ranamon. "I have no right to take away the future of a thinking, feeling being with people who are going to miss her when she's gone."

Ranamon shook her head, "You make Zoe look like a Primadonna." Ranamon sighed.

Suddenly, two glowing eyes peered out of the lake. Seiryuu surfaced, growling softly and butting Gwen gently. "Motoko comes!"

Gwen looked up, and Motoko appeared. Her form simply shimmered into existance. "MAJOR!" Gwen squealed, pulling her wife into a steamy, passionate kiss.

"Gwen! Thank goodness you're alright."

"Major, this is Ranamon. Ranamon, Major Motoko Kusanagi of Section 9."

"Oh my, you're married to a woman of the armed forces? I thought their policy was 'don't ask don't tell.'" Ranamon snickered.

"Oh stop." Gwen snorted. "Major is /former/ JSDF. Now she works with public security. But they call her the Major due to her being a pillar of feminine authority." Gwen snickered. "Her body is entirely cybernetic."

"You mean thats /all/ silacone? Sugar whoever made your chassy should be heralded as a miracle worker." Ranamon eyed Major speculatively.

"She's got the brains to go with that body too." Gwen beamed. "Major, Ranamon is a bit of a... southern belle."

"I can see that. Well Ranamon, Gwen, we have some work to do. I'm going to need you both to do exactly as I tell you, and Ranamon I'm going to need to know /everything/ you can tell me about digimon."

"That will take awhile sugar. Don't you at least have tea?" Ranamon whined. "And I have some questions for you too scaley." She told Seiryuu.

Gwen eyed Major, then Saeyamaru popped out of the woods. "Gwennie Gwennie Gwennie! I bring munchies! Have all you want Ranamon!"

Gwen smirked. "Lets get to work!"

* * *

1. For those of you unfamiliar with ghost in the shell, the ghost is the "soul" of a cyberized person like Gwen. Absorbing ranamon's fractal code would cause that ghost to alter or even be damaged, hence the reason why Gwen is trying to keep it separated.

2. It leaves me in a massive fit of giggles too! XD all the lovely yaoi and yuri pairings splitting off. Don't worry. I'll change the rating sometime in the next couple of chapters and give you a boatload of lemons!


	7. Circle of eggs and Takato's issues

Notes: I was barely awake when I typed the first part of this chapter. My capitolization is absymol

"where's ichigo?" yuzu demanded as she walked into hers and karin's bedroom.

karin growled. "disappeared again." but then her eyes glinted dangerously. "but this time i know where."

"where?" yuzu asked, digging through a shelf full of shoe boxes.

"salamon! wormon! we're going to the digital world for the night." karin smirked.

"yaaaaay!" salamon broke free and tackled karin. yuzu hugged wormmon close. "ichigo went to the digital world. does that mean he's a..."

"nope. he got a call from some american chick. said the digital world had a hollow problem."

"oh no....." yuzu still couldn't see hollows. karin had told her about them, including how to defeat one. "karin you know i can't see them!"

"i know, but where ichi-nii goes, /we/ go." karin insisted. she wrote a note telling isshin she'd gone to visit ururu. "come on!" she scooped up salamon and headed for yuzu's computer, d-3 in hand. "race ya!"

"wait for me!" yuzu grabbed wormmon and ran to follow.

* * *

kenta climbed into greymon's neck behind tai. takeru vaulted easily to pegasusmon's back with the ease of long practice. takato climbed onto growlmon's back, taking his mane in his hands for a handhold. tomoki had beast spirit evolved to koreikkakumon, and was bent into a meditative posture while he waited for the others to finish mounting up. mello had changed into his shapeshifted form, and sai had called out an ink version of garurumon for him to ride. "lets roll!" tai grinned hugely.

the group set off, pegasusmon circling above to cover their airspace. it didn't take long for them to reach the edge of the field. "move!" tai roared.

"nova blast!" the rapidfire nova blast attack destroyed no fewer than six control spires. greymon headbutted a seventh and then used his tail as a club to knock over an eighth.

"pryo blaster!" growlmon's flame attack blasted five control spires one after another, "dragonslash!" six spires now. then growlmon leapt into the air kicking down a seventh spire. "dino kick!"

hollows leapt free from the field of spires. "keep running!" takato ordered.

"star shower!" pegasusmon knocked three of the ten hollows down. growlmon ploughed into another with a dragonslash and kept going. sai's well placed jutsu struck down three. and mello leapt into the air, roaring out. "firestyle! fireball jutsu!" the stream of flame expertly dispatching another.

but that still left some hollows persuing them. pegasusmon put on the broke abruptly, turning on a wingtip. "equus beam!" pegasusmon barely slowed down in his headlong plunge.

"yeeeeeeeeeee haaaaaaww!" mello roared, howling at the moon in true canine fashion. "who's next?" he demanded.

takato laughed, drawing his zanpakuto. "keep running growlmon. i'll keep up!" this time instead of ten hollows, no fewer than fourty broke from the field of control spires, thick brush and high grass and charged. "move!"

suddenly tk's digivice went off. "guys! we have a digi-egg!"

"we can't slow down!" tai growled.

"yes we can. lets take this bunch out and go after it! we can't let aizen get his hands on any technology that could help him. and we have /no/ idea what's helpfull and what's not. therefore we need to hurry."

* * *

karin blinked. "hey! there's a signal on our digivices! lets go!" she called to yuzu and gatomon. "maybe its ichi-nii!" gatomon purred, "yay! lets go!"

"well its worth checking out!" yuzu said timidly. "i don't wanna mess with hollows. especially in the digital world!"

"but we can't digivolve in the living world." pointed out gatomon. "here the plane is leveled! we can fight back!"

"its this way." karin rushed in the direction of a temple. "oh man! more signals, flashing. whatever it is we want to hurry!"

* * *

"wow! there's a lot of them." takeru knelt at the foot of a circle of digi-eggs. "no golden digi-egg but one of every egg is here. including this one with the crest of kindness."

"alright. takeru call ken over. have him see if he can get the one with the crest of kindness." tai told the younger digidestined. "then see if you can lift any of them."

"i'll take a stab if you think it will help." takato knelt by the digi-egg of courage. "nine digi-eggs? no way they don't belong to at least /somebody/ in our party."

* * *

"they found a digi-egg with the crest of kindness?" demanded ken. "well then wormmon, lets go!"

"the e-mail says that they have a swarm of hollows treeing them in there. you'd better take stingmon and rush." Ruki told Ken.

"wormmon shinka stingmon!!!" stingmon scooped up ken and bolted for the battlefield with uryu on his back.

"i'll come with you to keep any hollows out of the shrine!" uryu declared, leaping onto stingmon's shoulders. "lets go."

stingmon bolted for the shrine where the other digidestined had gone. "huh? ken look over there!" uryu pointed.

"oye! karakura red and yellow reporting for duty." another stingmon flew over to them, with a two girls and a gatomon on his back. the two girls flashed d-3 digivices and beamed.

"what's going on stingmon?"

"my yuzu and her sister karin got a strange signal on their digivices, they came to check it out and look who we found eh?"

"scuse me..." yuzu said politely. "i can't help but notice your digivice, i've never met any digidestined besides me and my sister." she offered a warm smile that reminded ken of kari.

uryu groaned. "oh no, its kurosaki's twin little sisters. how did you three get digivices?"

"um well..." they looked at each other. "ichigo was gone somewhere last summer, and without rukia around karin, jinta, ururu and i got really bored. then one day we snuck into urahara-dono's lab. jinta was trying to get his video game back, the shopkeeper had taken it away when he wiggled out of chores. they knocked over a laptop with a strange hazard sign on the shell and four digivices came out. when we got home karin discovered the digiport on her computer. she held the digivices up to it and wormon and salamon came out of the computer! even though they had digivices too, we couldn't figure out why jinta and ururu never got digimon, but salamon and wormon have been our secret ever since."

"i can't believe there's an older digidestined kid who has a stingmon just like meeeeeee!" yuzu squealed. "i am yuzu kurosaki, and this is my sister karin."

"and i'm gatomon, i may be small but i'm uber tough!" karin's gatomon purred from his seat in karin's lap. (1)

"i know you two. how did you know to come to the digital world?"

"this american chick called ichi-nii. she said "come to the digiworld, use your gatekey on a computer to get in. there are lots of hollows showing up. yuzu doesn't have any powers, but i can smack the hell outta them hollows. just give me a soccer ball!"

"so what was that strange signal we got?" asked karin.

"they're armor digi-eggs." explained ken. "they allow a digimon to access special forms. unfortunately only a few digimon can use a digi-egg." ken sighed. "wait a minute, gatomon is one of the digimon that can armor digivolve!" uryu exclaimed. "karin, we need your help. you know the legend of the sword in the stone?"

"yeah."

"the armor digi-eggs are kind of like that! only a person who can use the crest on their shell can lift them! but those hollows look to a seriously evil shinigami called aizen. if they get their hands on the digi-eggs it could be serious trouble! we need you to help us lift them and move them out of danger! and our concern is that the hollows will discover their location and try to take them!"

"i'll do my best!" karin turned to yuzu and her stingmon. "hurry up!"

"come on!" ken's stingmon lead the way. "go as fast as you can and blitz past the hollows."

"you got it!" both insect digimon shot for the doorway.

* * *

"what's taking ken so long?" tai demanded. "i know he's cautious but time is of the essence here."

"yay! i wanna see the digi-eggs!" a gatomon came barrelling down the stairs and around the corner into the shrine.

"gatomon! did kari come too?" tai and their parents were about the only ones who used kari as a nickname for hikari.

the gatomon stopped in her tracks, looked up and blinked. "kari? no no, my partner is karin, with an n."

"quit fooling around."

"my partner digimon /doesn't/ fool around." karin walked into the chamber. "i'm karin kurosaki, from karakura town, gatomon is my partner digimon. who the hell are you?"

"taichi kamiya, from odaiba!" tai growled.

"karin! karin don't leave me alone!" yuzu hurried down the stairs into the chamber with wormmon in her arms.

"huh, wormmon, what are you doing here??? wheres ken????" tai began to flip out. his face was twitching.

"over here." ken walked around the corner with wormmon and uryu in tow. "sorry tai, we picked up stragglers along the way. these two digidestined are ichigo's little sisters. they listened in on the call gwen placed to ichigo for help, grabbed their d-3s and ran right for the digiports. karin has a gatomon just like hikari. and yuzu has a wormmon just like me."

"this is going to be a problem when we get back to camp." kenta sighed. "we'll never be able to tell their partner digimon apart!"

"i think i have an idea." uryu beamed. "come here yuzu's wormmon!" he dug in his pouch and pulled out an soft knitted yellow scarf. "this is alpaca wool, but its the perfect color for karakura yellow's digimon to wear!" he wrapped it around yuzu's wormmon's neck.

"yippie! i have a scarf! i have a scarf!"

"what about me?" karin's gatomon whined.

"here." uryu tied a handsome red and white collar braided from stiff cord around karin's gatomon's neck. "it even has kitty pawprints on it, perfect for karakura red's digimon to wear!"

"wheeeee! its pretty!" karin's gatomon bounced up and down happily.

"since gatomon has the ability to armor digivolve i thought i should bring them both along." ken explained. "i thought they could take a whack at it, and uryu already vouched for them."

"i should try the digi-eggs as well."

"go ahead, i've had mello and sai wait until now." mello eyed the eggs on the floor. sai was busy drawing them one by one. "and sai has been drawing the circle for izzy to look at later." tomoki pointed one by one. "i tried all the eggs already, none of them work for me. not even the one with the crest of reliability on it. i thought maybe since my ultimate form is an ikkakumon just like joe's it might work."

"let me take a whack at the digi-egg of kindness first." ken told tai. "lets go wormmon!" he strode over to the tiny pink egg at the far side of the chamber. "huh, there's a piece of paper. dear ken, i think its completely unfair that you didn't get a digi-egg of your own. here you go, gennai. ps. i have a present for sai, mello, yuzu, karin, jinta and ururu. if you can lift the right eggs their digimon will be released at last! i think the two shop bra... i mean lovely little children have waited long enough for their digimon."

karin laughed when she heard that. "oh. my. god. do it! ken lift it quick!"

"do you really think jinta's the right kinda kid to be a digidestined?" asked karin's gatomon. "he'd probably take the digi-egg and use it for a baseball!"

ken leaned down and picked up the digiegg of kindness. a jet of pure white light rose from where the egg had been. "alright! wormmon i got a digi-egg!"

"who's this gennai character?" asked uryu.

"um.... he's a guy who has a whole bunch of clones who helps pick digi-destined and find digimon partners for them." explained ken.

"awwww maaaan! if jinta gets here before me he'll take the red one and then claim that gives him the right to be karakura red!" karin wailed.

"the crest of courage? sorry karin, there's never been a female digi-destined of courage as far as i know." tai said placatingly.

"fuck you old man." karin flipped tai the bird, strode over to the digiegg of courage and lifted it. "easy as pie! lets see."

"that note said one of these was for me!" grinned mello. "lets see... eeny, meany, miney, moo." he leaned over and tugged on the digi-egg of knowledge. "ow!" he fell on his butt. "what gives, its like when i tried to lift gwen-sensei's zanpakuto. it wouldn't budge!"

"let me try!" yuzu exclaimed. again, the digi-egg of knowledge wouldn't budge. "damn. who could it be for?"

mello's eyes were caught by the digi-egg of hope. "helloooo, shiiiiinneeeeeeeeyyyyy..." he reached out to grab it. tug. tug. tug. "no no no nono! why can't i have the gold one?" demanded mello. "drat."

"ooh this one is pretty!" yuzu walked over to the digi-egg of light. she bent over to pick it up. "lets see......" she took a deep breath and grabbed the digiegg. "how awesome! its really light! check it out wormmon! we got a digi-egg."

"yay, yay yay!" yuzu's wormmon bounced up and down, "i can't wait to try it out on those hollows! can you yuzu?"

"gratz on the digi-egg of light yuzu. its a really important crest to have." tai beamed. "my little sister hikari has the crest of light."

"how cool!"

mello looked down at his feet. the digi-egg of love was sitting there. "oh well, its silver. gold is for number one, if i'm always number two than the silver one should be for me. oh god but did it have to have a heart on it?" he bent down and pulled. it came up. "tai! i got this one! what is this one?" he held it up.

tai began to laugh. "thats the crest of love!" he cackled. "oh good lord. takeru! check out the new digi-destined of looooooveeee." tai teased.

mello growled. but he didn't have time to respond as a bright light shot upwards from the digi-egg of love. out flew a blur of blue and gold. "mello!!!!!!!! my darling! my mello mine!" veemon exclaimed, clinging to mello's legs and headrubbing him.

"wow, i'd have thought it would be gwen's egg or something." grinned tomoki.

"though mello looks a lot like a girl." tai giggled.

"why knock it?" asked kenta. "love was takato's crest. and /he/ was a goggle boy."

"heya mello! i'm veemon its nice ta meetcha! gennai gave me a digivice to give to you! wanna be partners?" veemon held out a tiny blue d-3 and d-terminal.

mello eyed veemon, then he extended a hand. veemon took it and then threw his arms around mello. mello shoved the digiegg in his pocket and clipped the digivice to his belt. "i normally work alone. but if you want i guess it wouldn't hurt." he sighed. mello heard tai's comment. "i got an idea, i'll strip, you suck it and see how girly i am when i make you bend over the frickin altar over there!" he snapped.

"..." tai blinked. "yamato would kill me if i did that. at least now we know why he got the egg of love. how... inventively lustfully lewd."

"want me to take the damn egg and shove it where the sun don't shine?" mello held back on goggle boy, because after all, /his/ matt wore goggles. "because if you don't just shut your pi........." the digiegg of sincerity rose up, a beam of light appearing as it floated over to mello. "huuuuh? i get two?" demanded mello.

tai and takeru began to laugh. "thats mimi's crest! the crest of....... giggle, giggle, purity! (2)"

kenta burst out laughing. "mello? puuuureee? thats a laugh and a half!"

tomoki frowned. "i think mello's a good digidestined of love and purity. he has somebody back home he really loves i'll bet. and he always speaks his mind, isn't that the mark of a good digidestined of purity?" tomoki asked.

sai sighed, "i can't figure out which of the digi-eggs i should try first." sai frowned. "what kind of digimon could /i/ have?" he wondered.

"well, why not try the digiegg of reliability." suggested takeru. "or the digiegg of knowledge."

sai frowned, leaning over to tug on the digiegg of reliability. "it won't move." he sighed defeatedly.

"you have no idea what your crest might be?" kenta asked.

"whats your foremost personality trait?" asked tomoki. "think sai! how do you feel about yourself?"

"i don't know!" sai fretted. "i have no emotions. ninja training as a genin beat them out of me. i have no idea where to go or who to pick." sai sounded on the verge of despair.

takeru heard the tone in sai's voice. //i recognize that look. i think i know who's his. "i know." he took the ninja by the arm and lead him towards the digiegg of hope. "go on sai. try and lift this one." he suggested. "its the digiegg of hope! its perfect for you."

"but i..... don't have any hope." sai said quietly.

"everyone has hope sai!" tomoki said encouragingly. "think about it, what in your life are you hopefull for? that crest has a star on it, close your eyes, make a wish and grab it!"

sai nodded, closing his eyes. he tried to think of something he was hopefull for. something to wish on. at first he thought of his quest for his emotions. he hoped to feel again. but then he thought of konoha village, and something stirred in his heart then. //i wish. i wish that everyone, everyone i hold dear, be safe and happy. no matter what.// his eyes snapped on, and takeru /knew/ he had chosen right from the determination in the dark grey orbs. sai bent down and stiffly clasped the golden surface of the digiegg of hope. it came free in a burst of powerful golden light. sai cried out in surprise. he brought his hands up to cover his face.

"its okay sai." the light faded slowly, and as the ninja peeked through his fingers he saw a shape that floated in the air where the beam had been. sai looked up, coming nose to nose with the smiling face of the patamon who had appeared in the flash of light. "i'm yours sai! i've been waiting for you! it took you awhile to open up and let me in, but you're here at last and i'm glad you found me!" the digimon flew over to sai, who reached out his arms for the creature. "i'm patamon, i've been waiting for you for so long sai! i've got a d-3 digivice and d-terminal for you from gennai." patamon offered sai his digivice. the ninja took it, fastening the device next to his scroll and ink for his jutsu."

"just three left." frowned karin. "lets give them a try." she knelt next to the digiegg of knowledge. "it still won't budge. the rest of you try it. one by one."

one by one the digidestined who could armor digivolve tried the egg of knowledge. it didn't budge, though ken was certain that it squeaked. "try it uryu!" suggested tai.

"why me?"

"you're the only one of us without a digimon and/or a digivice." replied yuzu. "and you're just as smart as ken-san!"

uryu growled. he liked the digimon, but he didn't /want/ one. "oh well. thats why they call it destiny." he knelt next to the digiegg of knowledge and grabbed it.

nothing, it lifted in his hands, but there was no glow, no digimon, no digivice. "weird. i can lift it but there's nothing." suddenly a note floated out of the bottom of the digiegg. "huh.......... oooooh! this has quincy symbols on it. the note is from gennai. 'quincy have the power to move digieggs that match their personality. close your eyes and say this incantation and it will send the egg to its rightfull owner."" uryu read. "alright. um...." he closed his eyes and began to chant in an ancient language. the digiegg of knowledge disappeared. the digiegg of friendship followed. "there they go." he sighed. "reliability didn't work. lets see. sai has two already, karin?"

"i tried reliability already. no dice."

"let me try." sai said quietly. "mello got two, maybe two of them are mine."

"go sai go!" exclaimed patamon, doing a happy dance. sai picked up the digiegg easily. mello grinned. "i knew it sai! you're the most reliable gatekeeper apprentice i've worked with. tell me, is there a reason it resembles the brittish union jack?" (3)

"we've never really been able to figure that out." tai sweatdropped. "where did they go?"

"probably to karakura town." karin giggled. "i wonder which one is jinta's. i'm just glad my digimon gets to be karakura red too!" karin beamed.

"but now we've gotta get out. the hollows are swarming all over the place outside! we need to take them down."

"alright everyone." takeru told the newest digidestined. "to activate your new digieggs, call out 'digiarmor energize!"

mello dug in his pocket for the digiegg of sincerity, sai for the digiegg of hope. karin and yuzu followed. "digiarmor energize!"

"gatomon armor shinka, lynxmon!"

"wormmon armor shinka quetzelmon!"

"veemon armor shinka, yasyamon!"

"patamon armor shinka, pegasusmon!"

ken beamed at wormmon. "its your turn wormmon! time for your very first armor digivolution."

takeru's patamon began to dance. "go wormmon, its your birthday, go wormmon, its your birthday."

takeru giggled. "silly patamon." takeru and ken looked each other in the eye. "digiarmor energize!"

"patamon armor shinka, pegasusmon!"

"wormmon armor shinka, bucchimon!"

tomoki growled, picking up his d-tector. "beast spirit evolution! koreikkakumon!"

"card slash! digivolution!" takato yelled, swiping his d-power. "guilmon digivolve to growlmon!"

"agumon digivolve to greymon!"

the line of digimon and humans burst from the shrine, the hollows burning up and disappearing. the group was excited, and excited digimon make stronger digimon. "woooooooooooo!" karin exclaimed. "go lynxmon go!" she cried out, jumping up and down.

ken caught a ride on greymon as bucchiemon jumped ahead through the trees, "love laser!" exclaimed bucchiemon, breaking hollows to pieces.

"good god daisuke is going to have a field day with that." ken sighed in disgust.

"love laser." tai giggled. "oh i can bet he will."

* * *

back at camp, a pair of firelizards spiraled down out of between, calling out for the humans below. one of them, a bronze, circled, searching for someone before disappearing again. the second, a queen, landed next to gwen and started pecking at her cheek. **squeak**! *peck* **squeak**! *peck* **squeak**! *peck*. "hey! wait!" daisuke rushed to try and pull the queen away from gwen. she shrieked, and started clawing at his hands and flapping wildly. "what the heck is this thing???" daisuke demanded as veemon hurried over to try and protect him from the screeching firelizard.

"its a firelizard." ichigo replied. "the gatekeepers use them as messanger animals. since they can go between the worlds. delphine said once they could even enter the time stream and come out safely. and since they can hold their breath for ten minutes, they can even go out into space safely."

"really? what's a time stream?" daisuke demanded.

"skip it." izzy, ishikawa, miyako and yamaki chorused.

"that letter must be for gwen." takuya tried to coax the queen into giving it to him and got a painfull nip on the fingers. "OW! WHY YOU LITTLE!"

"huh, what's this cross on her neck?" asked daisuke. "it looks like its made out of stars!"

the gatekeepers all looked at each other. "thats crux!"

"come again?"

"the sign of the current astralgator." rukia explained. "let me see if i can."

the queen wouldn't even let rukia take her letter. "whatever it was it must be important." renji exclaimed. "usually firelizards listen to rukia."

major was still diving gwen, her eyes closed and body motionless. that was when there was a crashing in the brush. "uh oh." everyone bolted to their feet. only for takato to appear, the other digidestined behind him. "we never got to finish." takato growled, the bronze firelizard crowed in triumph, sweeping in out of between to drop his letter on takato's head. he shrilled in victory before disappearing again. "the astralgator's mark." takato sighed. "its too thin to be paperwork. i'll bet i know what it is." he sighed in disgust, shaking his head as he opened it.

"ichi-nii!!!!!!!!" karin squealed. gatomon leaping to her shoulder. wormmon clung to yuzu's head, and bucchiemon waded through the bushes with ken on his tail. "veemon! veemon! lookit me! i armor digivolved lookit me!" bucchiemon beamed hugely, throwing his arms around veemon and squeezing.

"karin? yuzu???? what the hell are you doing here???"

"we're digidestined, we belong here." karin said in amusement. "while you and rukia were frolicking in soul society last summer yuzu and i made some new friends."

then mello and sai broke from the bushes, patamon clinging to sai's head and veemon bouncing up and down. mello's veemon was wearing mello's dog collar. and sai had tied an extra hitaiate onto patamon's head to show that he was the partner of a ninja. "mello's the new digidestined of love, and tai somehow finds this amusing." sai reported.

"wha huh?" ichigo and uryu burst out laughing. They both knew that Mello had a perverted sense of humor, and made every opportunity to flaunt his sexual interest in the third Wammy child, coincidentally named Matt.

"why not? a male digidestined of love isn't that far out." sora beamed, ruffling mello's hair. "it just means he's more sensitive than your run of the mill digidestined."

Mello's face twitched as Sora ruffled his hair happily. "I am never going to hear the end of this."

"i got the digiegg of courage! i get to be karakura red!" karin squealed, holding up her digiegg for daisuke.

"wow karin you get to be leader of the karakura digidestined!" beamed daisuke. "i'm daisuke motomiya! i have the digiegg of courage too! hey, do you play soccer?"

"i love soccer!" karin exclaimed. "my soccer kick is so hard, i can crack hollow masks with it!"

"awesome!" daisuke cheered. "you can come play with me and ken some time!" daisuke grinned.

"i hope jinta and ururu got their digimon. they've been waiting for so long to get one!" yuzu drooped.

"alright, formal introductions." tai gently pushed yuzu and karin forwards. "these are the kurosaki twins, ichigo's little sisters. karin and gatomon, karin lifted a digiegg of courage earlier tonight. and yuzu and wormmon. yuzu lifted a digiegg of light earlier tonight. we were interrupted on our patrol because we discovered a ruin /filled/ with digieggs. a circle one of each. when mello lifted the digieggs of love and purity, veemon came out. when sai lifted the digieggs of hope and reliability patamon came out. in addition, the digieggs of knowledge and friendship disappeared when they came into contact with uryu's quincy powers."

"quincy are thought to have the ability to bend space." uryu said thoughtfully. "whoever left the eggs there intended for my power to send them where they were supposed to go."

takato suddenly started to cry. tears of sheer joy rolled down his face. "guilmon! we did it! guilmon guilmonguilmonguilmon!" takato pulled guilmon into a huge hug.

"dude, did you go nuts or something takato?" kazu asked, puzzled.

takato began to read aloud. "dear matsuki-taichou, i am writing to apologize for the injustice my predescessors have committed. actions speak louder than words, and the actions of your guilmon have spoken louder in his favor than any eloquent or simplistic pleas on his behalf could have. i can only begin to contemplate the suffering you both have endured when sent your seperate ways. i hereby give you the permission to take him with you on your missions as a gatekeeper, and after you finish your current mission i would like the two of you to join me and my dearest friend gryphomon for a personal apology. my only wish is that you may enjoy more years together in the land of the dead than you had apart when alive.

signed,

astralgator crux"

"i get to... go with takatomon?" guilmon's eyes turned huge. "wheeeeeeeeeeee!" he started to hop up and down happily. "agumon! agumon! agumon!" he started doing a dance with tai's agumon. "i get to go with takatomon! i get to travel all the worlds! not just the digital and real ones! isn't that great?????"

"awesome! see? what sora told you is true! if you believe you were meant to see him again you would." agumon squealed. The two digimon hugged each other and grinned.

jenryaa snorted. "yeah, now you can totally disappear takato. great." he said sarcastically.

"dude, what the hell is wrong with you????" kazu demanded of jenryaa.

"i'll tell you what's wrong." jenryaa stood, walking over to takato and pulling him into a long, needy, bitter kiss.

Takato smacked Jenryaa on the cheek. Jenryaa glared at Takato, and the two of them looked ready to dissolve in a fist fight. Takato turned and left the clearing. Jenryaa hurried after him. And the two of them yelling at each other could be heard a few moments later.

"uuuuuh........." daisuke's jaw dropped.

"somehow." hikari and zoe automatically reached out to cover iori and tomoki's eyes. "this seems like the bittersweet climax to a romance movie i missed." miyako said as she facefaulted.

* * *

1. kari=karin? zomg play on words is funny, and karin is a gatomon girl. i do associate yuzu with cats, but i'm thinking personality. wormmon is kind and gentle, perfect for yuzu. wheras gatomon has an attitude the size of texas. plus, if you remove the n, karin becomes kari, the idiotic dub name they chose for hikari.

2. in the sub version its "purity" not "sincerity" zomg. poor mello, he got both the girls crests. hahahahahahahaha

3. the nickname for the brittish flag is the "union jack" which the crest of reliability resembles.


	8. In which Tai and Yamato get it on

Tai's grin was huge, as he lead Yamato to a secluded area of the shrine. "Here, this seems alright." Tai lead Yamato into a chamber that surprisingly had a bed in it. Fragrant incense smoke seemed constantly to burn in this area. Rukia had called it a "dreaming room" earlier. But the place looked more like a shrine to every god of sex and lust that had ever existed in the Ancient Civilizations of Earth. "Sex in a place of worship! Tai we'll be struck by LIGHTNING." Yamato protested.

"Yes, but thats whats so deliciously kinky about it! It /is/ a shrine! And we /are/ having sex in it." Tai purred. "Besides, this... incense... its making me horrrnny!" He whined, stripping off his jacket and shirt.

Outside Agumon sniffed the air. "ooooooh. I know that scent! You know, we should tell them." He giggled.

"lets let them have their nookie first." Gabumon purred, nuzzling the back of Agumon's neck. "Oooh, you smell lovely Agumon!"

"Why thank you... WAIAAAH????" Agumon blushed. "We're supposed to watch the door so Tai and Yamato don't get interrupted! Gabumon pull yourself to... oh my... oh my my my. Your fur is so soft tonight Gabumon."

Tai didn't take long to coax Yamato into taking off his shirt and jacket, "KISS MEEEEEE." Tai begged, and Yamato's eyes glittered dangerously as he pushed Tai back onto the bed. The two shirtless teens rolling back and forth on the soft matting. They struggled for dominance, but Tai always allowed Yamato to win in the end. Their lips met, tongues twining, breaths begging, growls and moans of pleasure exchanged as their lips met again and again.

Yamato started unbuttoning Tai's shirt. "We don't have anything to use for lube." Tai panted.

"I snatched this." Yamato held up a tiny bottle.

"But Yamato thats SORA'S hand lo...."

"HUSH!" Yamato blushed hugely. "I'll buy her a new one when we get home." He finished unbuttoning Tai's trousers, pulling them off. Tai pawed at Yamato's trousers but the digidestined of friendship pushed his hands away. "Not yet." Yamato slipped out of the way, tugging on Tai's boxers too. "Bowwow arf, you wore /dog/ boxers? Tai are you /asking/ for anything?"

"Doggy boxers, doggy style." Tai growled, nibbling Yamato's ear. "MIIIIINE." He growled, clinging to Yamato's shoulders. "Miiiiiine." He whimpered when Yamato bent down and quickly took his boyfriend's aching length into his mouth. Tai relaxed his body. Yamato liked to pleasure Tai while he prepped him, and began twirling Tai with his tongue while he pressed two fingers into the digidestined of courage's entry. "Oooh.... mato....... gooooood." Tai slurred, toes curling in pleasure. That smokey incense made every movement, every touch /burn/. And the only way to get that burning to stop was to have as much sex as he could as long as he could. //That scent must have... done something...// Tai thought, blushing as Matt throated him. "OOOOOOhhhhhhhhhh yessssss yessss yeessssssssssss." Tai slurred.

Yamato removed his fingers. "On your hands and knees." he husked. Tai all but drooled, obediently turning onto his hands and knees. He heard a rustle as Yamato removed his pants and underwear. Then Yamato buried his face in Tai's hair, nibbling at the digidestined's neck. There was a faint pause, and then Yamato growled in Tai's ear. "Here I come." He growled, pressing swiftly and deftly into Tai's entry.

Tai howled in pleasure, head rolling back. "Yamatooooo...." He gasped.

"We haven't even started....." Yamato growled, kissing and sucking his way up Tai's neck.

"This is gonna be good." Tai growled, craning his head around to look into Yamato's eyes. Yamato started to thrust, rolling his hips to draw out the pleasure. Tai arched his back in time with Yamato's thrusts, growling low in his throat. Yamato found his sweet spot out of habit, and Tai howled in pleasure.

Yamato kissed and licked and sucked at the skin at the back of Tai's neck, hands roaming the other's body. Tai's first howl was his cue, Yamato wrapped his fingers around Tai's weeping member and began to stroke. "Mine." He hissed, repeating Tai's earlier claim.

"yours...." Tai panted.... "Always." He was getting close, the touches to his skin and the scent of incense and the intimate, trusting connection both physical and emotional to each other were putting his senses into overload. "Almost......" Tai screamed his lover's name into the night as he came.

They fell to the bed, and lay there, tangled in each other's arms. It took a few moments for Yamato to pull away, for Tai to reach for the nearest towel to clean himself up. He and Yamato kissed each other briefly, then he tossed the towel away and they curled up together.

About ten minutes after they fell silent, Tai and Yamato left the chambers they'd hidden themselves in to have sex. "Agumon? Agumon where did you go?" Tai asked.

"Here i am taiiiiii....." Agumon swooned.

Tai burst out laughing. Gabumon and Agumon were curled up together. Gabumon sprawled on top of Agumon. Agumon had kisses on his face and shoulder, Gabumon was out like a light, snoring lightly. "What happened Agumon?"

"Um... well that doggy style you and Yamato seemed to enjoy so much...... doesn't quite work for digimon." Agumon blushed crimson. "Taaaaaaiii. Turns out this shrine is dedicated to the Olympus Twelve. Twelve Mega digimon that resemble the..."

"Don't tell me, the Pantheon of Olympus."

"Yep! That chamber you were sleeping in is dedicated to the Digimon Goddess of Love!" Agumon giggled drunkenly.

"No..... kidding......" Tai's face started to twitch.

"Did you do it so hard you were limping again?" Agumon asked innocently.

"Um........" Tai blushed red. "Do I even have to answer that?"

"nope." Agumon replied with a blush, trying to wake up Gabumon. "Gabumoooon, wake up!"

Takato growled, "no Jen." He said simply to Jenryaa. The two were alone, and Jenryaa had tried once more to kiss Takato. "Its not a matter of gay versus straight. If I hadn't fallen in love with Gwen's mother I would have definately gone with you. Its a matter of, I'm /dead/ and after this you aren't going to see me again. So why bother?"

"Thats just it." Jenryaa said quietly. "i'd rather live knowing that I got to Know you once."

"Its too late for that." Takato rose, "Besides, my inner hollow, Kikato would tear you to PIECES Jenryaa. I'm a vaizard. We're... rough by nature." He growled.

"I don't fucking CAREEEEE!" Jenryaa growled.

"And that has always been your problem." Takato glared, getting up and walking away.

"Momentai Jen! You need to let him take his time!" Terriermon poked his head up from the bushes. "He has his reasons."

"He has his reasons, I want his ass." Growled Jenryaa. "I've waited too long. I might never get another chance!"

Gwen groaned. A firelizard's honeygold face was peering into her eyes, less than an inch away. "Sorry Gwen. She wouldn't let us take her letter, even though you were unconscious." Ruki said quietly. "Are you alright?"

Renamon was eyeing Gwen. "yes." The Gatekeeper blushed. "I got this kind of treatment all the time when I visited Hogwarts. Owls slipping in and out and waking me up at all hours for this or that mission."

Major smiled knowingly. "I've fixed her arm, and we had a little... talk, while she was sleeping." More like talk and some Cyber Sex, (hey, Gwen had needs too!) "She'll be able to use Ranamon's power for a month. But after that I'm not sure if the seal can be reapplied. Which means that you have one month for DATS to figure out how to seperate them. If you have any trouble, call the leader of our Gatekeeper Adjuctant, Aoi. He's... incredibly clever. And he needs the experience."

"thanks Motoko." Gwen took the letter and reached up to kiss Motoko. As they parted she noticed Tai and Yamato slinking back into camp, their clothing slightly in disarray. And Tai had a hickey on his neck. "Oh good lord." Then she frowned, watching as the firelizard took off and disappeared. "Lets see what was so important it couldn't wait for the morning." Gwen frowned, as the letter hit her pain fogged brain. "Oh god. This is going to be fun."

"What is it?" Renamon asked.

"Tapping order." Gwen replied. "new gatekeepers among the digidestined." Gwen sighed. "Well, at least I won't lack any work that one month."

"Will you be able to handle all of them?"

"Oh they'll be going to different places." Gwen replied. "They won't all be /my/ responsibility." She explained. "They'll all go on to their respective senseis." Gwen told Ruki. "Alright then." She grinned. "Anything else happen while I was asleep?"

"Um... Sai and Mello both got digimon, digivices and digieggs, plural. Courtesy of Gennai. And Ichigo's sisters were both digidestined. They /hid/ it from Ichigo. They're both here."

"WHATTTT?????" Gwen demanded. "Oh beautiful. Mello was in the middle of challenging the battle frontier. It /was/ his Chuunin quest. And Ichigo doesn't want his sisters to go into battle."

"I know how that feels. I was really upset when Kristie said she and Biyomon wanted to help out around DATS. Oh? Whats the battle frontier?" Masaru perked up.

"A pokemon thing. Pokemon and digimon don't normally get along together." Gwen replied. "He has four pokemon waiting for him at Professor Oak's lab."

"Four?"

"Most trainers have a couple dozen, but only keep six with them at any one time. Pokemon trainers then rely on people like Professor Oak to keep an eye on the ones they aren't using, and to teleport their pokemon to them when they need to switch their teams. I've got like, sixteen pokemon by now I think. In a way I'm glad I'm a legendary warrior. Pluck would likely /torment/ a partner digimon. He gets jealous."

"Anybody /i/ know on that list?"

"One tamer yes, but it says the tamers are not my responsibility." Gwen said calmly. "Excuse me." Gwen walked over to where Yamato was singing some stupid love song to a completely smitten Tai. Agumon and Gabumon were snuggled together not far away.

"Oh good lord. Yamato... lover boy..." Gwen planted herself in front of Yamato.

"Oh don't tell me you want to join in with Tai and me. I don't perform for girls." Yamato giggled. "Ask sora."

"Actually I was going to do /this/." Gwen whipped her gatekey forwards, hitting Yamato on the forehead with the round end of the key blade. Yamato screamed in surprise. The sort of scream someone gets when you dump a glass of ice water down their back. The sign of friendship appeared on his chest where the crest used to be. Then a gatekey fell into his lap. "Thanks to that, you are now a gatekeeper. Welcome to the team, Yamato-kun." Gwen turned around, searching the clearing. Kouji was next on the list. But Kouji was also gone. Touma was on the list as well, Touma /and/ Masaru. This wasn't going to be a peaceful tapping. And Ruki was also going to be tapped. But Ruki was more mature than Masaru was. And Renamon had been in hundreds of fights before. Those two were stable. And then there was Jenryaa's constant pestering of her father. Gwen was fairly certain she knew what that was about. Jenryaa was still under evaluation, but they'd know by the end of her month as a Legendary Warrior whether that pestering would be permanent.

"Kudamon is scouting the enemy territory. Since he's so small he can hide from the enemy." Touma added. "Yamato where were you and Taichi?"

"We were exploring the ruins. We found this interesting little room with an... um... I have an idea." Tai ahermed. He started pushing Masaru and Touma towards the ruins. "You're an intellectual Touma, why don't you go check it out? There's some interesting sculptures in there. We'll handle things here. Just go admire the artwork."

Yamato cackled, "Yes, go admire the artwork, we'll wait out here."

"Why should I bring Masaru with me?" Touma cocked his head innocently.

"Why else? So he can gain a better.... appreciation....... of classical digimon sculpture! You know classical sculpture is almost dirty. Think of the Statue of David and the Venus De Milo!" Yamato said with a knowing smirk and a cheerful expression.

"and when you reach a chamber with incense smoke coming out of it, walk up to the sculpture the smoke is coming out of and be sure to get a biiiiiiiiig whiff!" Tai added, still pushing Masaru and Touma towards the shrine.

"oh fine." Touma mumbled. "The ruins might be a good hiding place in case of an attack. Come on Masaru. Agumon, Gaomon, come with us mkay?" The two digimon followed their partners into the shrine.

"What are you two thinking?" Gwen demanded. "You two were snogging in those ruins weren't you????"

"Uh... any way we can convince you we weren't?" Asked Tai with a chuckle.

Gwen sighed. "I know that look, but its not fair. I can't go home in the middle of a mission to screw around with my wives. Major is out risking her life in missions and I'm not there to help her. I have to BABYSIT you DIGIBRATS and you run off into the ruins to screw around." Major had just left while they were arguing, opening a portal home to deal with some of her cases.

"Aw, thats a low blow. you're just upset because your /wives/, which is hinky that you have two by the way, aren't here to give you some action. Unless you're the uke of course. It takes an Uke to know an Uke, right Yamato?"

"Then how come you're the one who's limping?" Yamato snickered.

"Whatever." Gwen huffed, "First of all I /am/ the uke. Second of all one month is all i have to figure out how to help Ranamon. She's in my inner world for now, Saeyamaru will take care of her. But its almost... embarassing... to have a digimon entity looking out of my eyes while I'm screwing around with someone."

That was when Mello's yell of excitement reached the group. He and his armor evolved Yasyamon were running around with Karin and Lynxmon and Yuzu and Quetzalmon. Sai was already curled up in a ball with his Patamon under a tree, painting pictures of the different digimon. The three of them were playing tag, riding on their digimons backs. Gwen chuckled as she watched the three of them. "Well, at least thats one thing thats gone right. Thats the first time I've ever seen Mello laugh. He's such a snotty brat sometimes its good to see him relax."

"And since he doesn't have time to practice, this is a good chance for Mello and his digimon to get better aquainted with each other before having to go into battle. Personally I'd have thought the digi-egg of friendship would have gone to Mello." Tai frowned, watching the mock fight go on.

"Mello is well known for his ability to lie, cheat and decieve people. And he prefers to work alone, he's the last person I'd have pegged for the crest of friendship." Gwen replied. "He's also willing to work with criminals if it gets him what he wants. Sometimes I get the feeling that he's more interested in the knowledge I have to teach him than in me. But I can use that to his advantage."

"What do you mean?" Ruki and Yoshi returned from a sparring match in time to hear Gwen's comment on Mello.

"Mello came from a world threatened by a /really/ nasty serial killer named Kira. His sensei, L, had to bow out of battle with Kira. L not only fell in love with the very person he was sent to apprehend, he was forced to fake his death in the most gruesome possible fashion in order to escape with his life. We have reason to believe that Kira may attempt to kill Mello and the person he's supposed to be working with, a younger and weaker boy named Near. Their powers of reasoning mesh nicely together if they can /just/ work as a team. All my training right now is to prepare Mello for the day when he faces Kira, and may have to fake his own death in order to survive. Worse yet, the creature he has to decieve to survive is a fellow shinigami. One that would kill Mello if he interfered."

"I thought shinigami didn't take life." Yoshi protested. "you help people who are dead cross over right? Thats what Kudamon told us."

"Unfortunately, just as there are different kinds of digimon, there are different types of shinigami. The Book and Brush shinigami that Mello has to evade /can/ kill humans. They're MEANT to kill humans. By simply writing Mello's real name in its Deathnote while thinking of his face he or she can kill Mello. There /is/ a way to decieve a shinigami, but mello needs to improve his energy control and his fighting skills. He also doesn't come from a background that gives him an advantage in the sort of techniques he needs to learn to survive. Mello unfortunately also doesn't have much empathy, yet he seems to enjoy summoning. He had a special rapport with his pokemon back home. I've been hoping that the summoning arts, like working with pokemon and digimon, might be the key to opening him up a little bit, and it looks like I was right. As for the digiegg of love, Mello has someone he's head over heals for waiting for him back home, that fuels his digi-egg of love. The digi-egg of sincerity is well... he can be pretty insincere when he wants to be. Its like mixing Masaru's bravado with Touma's strategic knowhow. He does have his sincere moments, like this one, but he's still a cunning fighter and one should remember that when training him."

"Well, if his Veemon is anything like Daisuke's Veemon he won't be cunning for long." Tai snickered. "Speaking of which, where did Daisuke go anyway?"

"He ran off with TK and Ken. I think they were planning on having some alone time before their patrol." Yamato sighed. "Those three having a threesome doesn't quite put my mind at ease."

"hey, me Major and ZP worked out." Gwen said cheerfully. "Or is it your big brother senses tingling?"

"Well, its um... just... improper."

"Oh come on." Tai sighed. "We've been over this, if Daisuke, TK and Ken didn't get together as a threesome we'd have TK and Daisuke fighting over who got to be with Ken. And if you threw Miyako into that mix the dynamics of our new digidestined team would be thrown completely out of whack!"

"I sense this is an old arguement?" Gwen asked, blinking in surprise.

"yep." Yamato sighed. "I'm more in favor of a simple, old fashioned monogamous relationship between two people who love each other, gay or straight."

"Wheras I don't see the harm in it as long as they're happy together." Tai finished.

Gwen sighed, "Well I don't see the problem either. Remember i'm in a polygamous marraige. I couldn't decide who I wanted to be with so I just said. 'Screw it, i'll have them both!'"

"Yes but a relationship is one thing and marriage is quite another. Hell, I know Tai never wants to get married. He doesn't even want to have a Commitment Ceremony." (1) Yamato sighed.

Gwen sighed, the fact that Tai and Yamato were worrying about commitment reminded her of the limited amount of time she had to spend with her own wives. Someday soon she'd get that visit from a fellow gatekeeper saying that Major had died in the line of duty, that ZP had stupidly sacrificed herself for her people and their goddess Zoid Eve. "I'm worn to the bone from the merger, but I'm to hyped up to sleep. I'm gonna go out for a fly. See you all later." Gwen said curtly, flicking out her wings, she lept into the shimmering black of the digital night and disappeared.

* * *

1. Since Gay marriages are banned in a majority of states, a Commitment Ceremony mimicking a marriage but without any of the legal or religious recognition of a normally sanctioned marriage is a more common ceremony among gay couples.


End file.
